


Everyday Diary

by Aeneid



Category: Gintama
Genre: Angst, Cute, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Originally Posted on Tumblr, Prompt Fic, Rivalry, Romance, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-11
Updated: 2015-12-10
Packaged: 2018-03-22 08:54:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 20,840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3722860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeneid/pseuds/Aeneid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of unrelated fanfiction involving various pairings: Okita Sougo x Kagura, Hijikata Toushirou x Okita Mitsuba, Sakata Gintoki x Tsukuyo, Katsura Kotarou x Ikumatsu, and Kamui x Tokugawa Soyo. Current prompt: "KamuSoyo, "Are you out of your mind!?"".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Observations (OkiKagu)

**Author's Note:**

> Ficlet series based on the prompts sent to me via Tumblr.
> 
> This will range from ratings T to M, and may go back and forth among the pairings. I'll change the warnings if needed. As this is Archive of Our Own, smut fics will be posted here.
> 
> Anyway, let's start with my latest prompt. The other prompts will follow.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okita pulling a surprised kagura, after one of their fights, spontaneously into her (and his) first kiss and Gintoki observing it

* * *

**Everyday Diary**

* * *

_Observations_

* * *

 

"The hell are you doing here?!"

"This is a public space, China. What are you bitching about?"

Gintoki sighed once more as he watched his daughter challenge Souichirou-kun for the nth time. Despite aging for some years, they have yet to outgrow their bantering phase, which had now evolved into physical fights that sent buildings and poles toppling down. The more intense the fights, the better their moods were after they walked away.

This time around, however, they had regressed back to their childhood days of all talk, no action.

"Don't call me a bitch!" his daughter screamed.

"You just called yourself that, idiot." he said, dodging a punch that went his way.

 _Interesting. Probably gonna get violent._  Gintoki then stuck out one index finger and began picking his nose, observing the violent pair scream obscenities at one another.

"You stupid sadist! Of all the days, why did I have to see you right now?!" she yelled, trying to hit him with her trademark umbrella.

Sougo, in turn, was dodging the attacks she was throwing. "You probably miss me."

"Why would I miss you?! I fucking hate you!"

 _Ouch,_ Gintoki winced inwardly as he watched the Shinsengumi captain twitch subtly at the female Yato's comment, and knew that the comment had hurt the poker-faced youth. Despite the deadpan look, men  _do_  wince when they're hurt.

"Yeah, whatever. Look, China, if you can't stand to breathe the same air as well, go away. Or better yet, move out of Edo."

 _God damn it,_ Gintoki thought as he saw his daughter look hurt at the comment.

_BE HONEST FOR ONCE AND STOP THIS NONSENSE! STOP DRIVING GIN-SAN CRAZY!_

If Gintoki had his way, he would grab their heads, one head in each hand…

… and just force them to kiss one another.

Seriously, that was the thing they needed, and god forbid, it wasn't happening anytime soon.

_Come on, divine intervention. Do it for my sanity…!_

If he heard about Kagura's romantic woes towards this guy one more time, he might just hit someone repeatedly with  _Touya-ko._ And the someone was either Shinpachi or Souichirou-kun, whoever was closer in range.

"China, seriously," Souichirou said, backing up from the rampaging girl, who was slowly walking towards him, her face red from both anger and the blazing heat of the sun. "calm the fuck down and—" before he could finish his sentence, she decided to charge at the younger half of the Do-S duo…

… and, in a twist of fate that would probably be labeled as 'totally shoujo', had tripping on a small rock on the ground, crashing onto the policeman, who had his guard down and had fallen as well.

Sakata Gintoki tried to contain his laughter when he saw Kagura straddling the policeman, who had sat up immediately when the girl on top of him aimed her umbrella at the side of his head.

"What the hell's your problem?!" she screamed.

"What? I was giving you a suggestion. You can get the hell out of here, you know, and you'll never have to see me again." he answered monotonously.

"THAT SO?! THEN MAYBE I WILL!"

"Then…"

"Then wha—" before she could even continue on with her sentence, Okita Sougo, captain of the first division of the Shinsengumi, had grabbed the collar of the  _qipao_  she was wearing and pulled her towards him to give her a kiss on the lips.

The naturally-permed samurai had been shocked at the gesture that he accidentally pressed his nose a bit too deep inside his nostril and began nosebleeding right then and there. Despite the wound, despite the disgusting scene before him (why the fuck were they on the verge of making out in broad daylight?!), two things were very sure:

1.) Kagura was growing up

and

2.) If baldy hears of this, he was gonna die a rather violent death… and moving to another planet was no good, as the alien hunter lived up to the  _hunter_  part of his title.

_W-well… as long as he doesn't know… I'm safe…!_

* * *

 

 


	2. Holding Hands (OkiKagu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okita and Kagura holding hand for the first time. It is much more embarrassing than a kiss.

* * *

  **Everyday Diary**

* * *

_Holding Hands_

* * *

 

Everyday, Okita Sougo fetches her from the Yorozuya at 11 in the morning without fail. It was a routine they had established a few years ago when the police officer suddenly dropped by and said, "China, walk with me."

She would accompany him during his patrols, they would spend his lunch hour fighting and beating the crap out of each other, then he would skip the afternoon patrol by eating some  _dango_  with her, or ramen, depending on how broke they were that day (Gintoki had finally relented and gave her a daily allowance). After that, they'd head off, with her now following him back to the compound for yet another sparring match before she went home back to the Yorozuya.

One day, Sakata Gintoki had changed the meaning of their shared routine for her using only six words.

"Going out on a date again?"

Her immediate reaction was a screech, a blushing face, and a random throwing of an object at the direction of her surrogate dad, and the said item happened to be last week's edition of Weekly JUMP. "NO! WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!"

The silver-haired samurai managed to dodge the item, but had hit Shinpachi on the back of his head. "Heh…? Looks like a date to me. Not that I'm against it, but I know Souichirou-kun wouldn't do anything funny to my daughter."

"It's  _not_  a date!" she yelled once more. "It will never be one!"

"Kagura-chan, you don't need to be embarrassed about it, you know—"

"SHUT UP! I am  _not_  listening to you, you stupid  _megane_!" just as soon as she slid open the door, there stood the poker-faced Shinsengumi captain. "Ah, it's you. Let's go, hurry up." she tugged him by his cravat, ignoring his protests as she dragged him down the steps leading to the street.

"The hell's wrong with you today, China?" he asked after she had let go of his cravat and was in the process of fixing it.

"… Gin-chan and Shinpachi were annoying."

"Aren't they always annoying?"

"Well, yeah, but they crossed the line!" she pouted. "They kept insisting we're out on a date!"

"… Ah." he gave her a blank look. "What do you call this, then?"

"Rival Research." she stated as a matter of fact.

"I see." with that, he started walking a bit faster. "Just remembered that I need to do something for Kondo-san."

"Huh? I thought you're always free." she jogged after him, her umbrella resting on her left shoulder.

"Guess not. I'll be busy this week. No time to babysit you." he said, not looking at her. "See you around, China."

"What the—" at this, she stopped in her tracks, staring down on the ground instead, contemplating as to why he suddenly became so cold.

_Did I… do something wrong…?_

* * *

A week had passed, and her morning routine was now non-existent. Instead, she spent her time playing her girly games on the QSP until Gintoki told her to shower and see the sun for once. While she was tempted to tell him that she wasn't fond of it, she knew he was worried. It was Sunday, and it was a day where everyone went out to have fun.

After a long soak in the tub that took two hours (she really stank so much that even she had to wash her long hair thrice), she was ready to go out and buy her delicious  _sukonbu_  when she noticed a rather familiar face stuck on the street right in front of the old hag's store.

She wanted to laugh over the fact that Okita Sougo looked very uncomfortable while he was surrounded by females who were way too aggressive for their own good. Some of them threw each other dirty looks, while the other were secretly pinching one another. The ones who were nearer to him kept on pressing themselves at him, and one even attempted to pull down the collar of his  _uwagi_.

_… They sure are annoying. It's none of my business but… why am I so irritated!?_

She ignored the anger that was slowly threatening to burst inside her, but when she saw one of the females place her hands around his waist…

Without thinking, she rushed head-on to where they were, bulldozing her way over the crowd…

… and grabbed the right hand of the sadist and pulled him away.

"C-China?!" he called out when he saw her.

"Listen, girls." she gave a dark glare at all of the girls in the vicinity, all the while blushing as red as a tomato. "Better back off now, or you'll get it. He's  _mine_."

* * *

"… You're still holding my hand."

"S-shut up."

Late that afternoon, both Sougo and Kagura were strolling around Edo, still hand-in-hand, still not letting go, neither of them wanting to unclasp their fingers that were currently intertwined.

Sougo didn't want to admit it, but he was actually  _embarrassed_  that they were holding hands in public. Some of the rank-and-file members had seen them earlier and sported either a surprised look or a knowing look. His mood hadn't been good for the past few days, and he  _did_  lash out at them through physical torture, and seeing him looking so damn docile was probably enough to make them laugh inwardly.

Oh, he'd show them.

Tomorrow, he was gonna show them.

But right now, he'd rather deal with this welcoming distraction.

* * *

_… Gin-chan will never let me live through this until I die._

Gin-chan had caught them holding hands not long after the girls had backed off, and he gave Kagura a knowing smirk. As much as she wanted to rip that damn expression off his face with her shoe, it was not worth pulling away from her… boyfriend's warm hand.

_My boyfriend… huh…?_

For some weird reasoning, getting caught holding hands with him was much more embarrassing than her public declaration of ownership over Okita Sougo, especially since it was her 'dad' who caught them in the act.

She shook her head and sighed.

Well, at least she didn't have to go and apologize to him.

Her actions have said it all.

And what's more… she finally found the catalyst that had forced her to become more honest with her feelings for him.

"You really like me, huh, China?"

"FUCK YOU!" she screeched, her face a beet red once more.

"Gladly. My place or yours?"

He earned a bruise on the cheek for his remark.

* * *

 


	3. Too Much Information (OkiKagu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagura trying to find a way to break the news that she might be pregnant to the gang but in the end, she told them in the most blunt way possible. Behold, the bloodiest shotgun wedding in history of Kabuki-cho.

* * *

**Everyday Diary**

* * *

_Too Much Information_

* * *

 

"Hey guys, guys, I have a big announcement!" Kagura said when she came back to the Yorozuya for lunch.

"Okay, okay, let's hear it." Gintoki said boredly, picking his nose right in front of the lunch table, earning a grimace from Shimura Shinpachi.

"Just so you know, guys, I'm screwing the sadist of the tax robbers." upon seeing their look that said 'what-the-fuck-did-I-just-hear?', she spoke up the question they wanted to ask, but couldn't voice out. "Huh? Since when? Probably… a year ago? Oh geez, 'Pachi, don't give me that look!"

Kagura then coughs because of her dry throat (too much talking) and takes a sip of water. Shinpachi, on the other hand, was trying his best not to break the dining table in half. (It is mahogany, after all.)

"So anyway, recently, he told me he ran out of condoms. I offered to buy it from Ooedo Mart since I can run really fast. Just when I was about to go out, he stopped me instead and told me he'll just come outside." at both men's look of horror, she shrugged. "Well, waddya know, I never trusted the sadist after that, 'cause he got me pregnant and all. Come outside, hah. The bastard came inside me  _twice_. NO REMORSE TOO, THAT SMUG JERK…!"

"IS THAT BASTARD EVEN PLANNING TO MARRY YOU?!" came the angry voice of the naturally-permed samurai. "HOW DARE HE JUST STICK HIS DICK INSIDE YOU AND—!" was it his imagination, or was he seeing red just about  _everywhere_ he looked?

The thought of that airheaded tax robber sticking his  _iron will_  inside his daughter was enough to nearly snap him to his  _Shiroyasha_  persona.

 _'_ _Blood will be spilled in the Shinsengumi compound_   ** _tonight_** **.** '

"Is he gonna marry me? HELL NO. I DON'T WANNA GET MARRIED TO  _ **HIM**_." she screamed, raising her middle finger at Gintoki, who was on the verge of wanting to find and strangle the said sadist. Other half of the sadistic duo or not, no one fucks his daughter and gets away with it! "I WILL RAISE THIS CHILD ALONE."

"NO! YOU HAVE TO MARRY HIM!" bellowed her 'father'.

"SHUT UP, GIN-CHAN, DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

As expected, the appetite for lunch had disappeared completely. All that was left was the urge to rip Okita Sougo apart and feed his remains to Sadaharu.


	4. Hugging (OkiKagu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okita hugs Kagura for the first time, out of gladness that she's alright. Flustered Kagura remains still for almost a minute until she realize what's going on and pushes him away.

 

* * *

**Everyday Diary**

* * *

_Hugging_

* * *

 

It was rather awkward, standing by the pool side of the water theme park where she and the Yorozuya plus  _anego_  were spending their summer outing, and being hugged by the guy who had been her rival since she was fourteen.

Four years later, he was hugging her as soon as she got out of the wave pool, shocking the hell out of her.

"China… don't do that again."

What the hell did he mean by that…!?

She was perfectly fine, doing all those "I'm drowning!" stunts to make Seita laugh and to freak out Madao into always jumping in to save her. It was impossible for her to drown, as she had been trained from childhood to swim like a fish, plus her brother had kept on subjecting her to water tortures that she thought was part of their childhood games.

The last one that she did before get out of the pool involved her "accidentally" falling into the deepest end of the pool, diving to the bottom of (it was around 8 feet deep), and finally surfacing in front of Shinpachi, who screamed like a girl as she did that hair technique that women in commercials did, though it backfired and made her long, vermilion-colored hair turn into some kind of beard that scared the male Shimura. After a good laugh, she dove down once more to fix her hair and was supposed to head over to where Tsukki and Gin-chan to have her lunch when sadist had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and…

… hugged her.

Hugged her rather tight, in fact, and wasn't budging at all.

_Oh god._

He was hugging her in public, and the majority of them were now openly staring at them, some whispering as to how cute they look.

_W-we're not a couple, damn it!_

Immediately, she pushed him away. "W-what the hell was that about?!" she yelled at him, her face slowly turning as red as the bandeau bikini she was wearing.

He got up from the ground, blood red eyes glaring at her. "Don't make me repeat myself." he mumbled.

"Then why did you do that?!"

"'Cause that stunt you did scared the fuck out of me." he said it so bluntly that she was stunned into silence. He continued his tirade, not caring if he was already making a scene. "How would  _you_  feel if someone you care about did the exact same thing you did? I doubt that all you're giving to that person is a hug. Knowing you, you'd beat them half-dead." sighing to himself, he shook his head.

"Do whatever you want. I give up." and with that, he turned his head to where Yamazaki stood. "'Zaki, I'm leaving ahead."

"B-but sir, you said you were looking forward to this—"

"Don't bother. I've had enough." he walked past Kagura, heading off to the male locker room to change.

Stupid China. Why couldn't she grow a brain and be smart enough to figure shit out?

 _…_ _Of all the women in Edo, why her?_!

He seriously wanted to smack himself right now.

 


	5. Bodyguard (OkiKagu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Bodyguard! She to him or he to her.". OkiKagu.

* * *

  **Everyday Diary**

* * *

_Bodyguard_

* * *

 "Move it, girl. No touching."

Okita Sougo, the newest idol under the Silver Soul Agency headed by the Producer Sakata Gintoki, was having a handshake session with his fans when an overly zealous fan had grabbed unto him and was about to envelop him into a hug when a familiar vermillion-haired woman stopped the girl by poking her with her trademark purple umbrella.

"This is a handshake event, not a hugging session. Please don't do that again." Kagura said monotonously. "We can immediately ban you from future events, remember that."

* * *

"You sure are harsh, China." Okita Sougo remarked after the three hour event. Right now, they were currently in the holding area in Ooedo Big Sight, and was waiting for Gintoki to arrive and tell them what to do. "The girl looked like she was going to cry."

Kagura rolled her eyes. "Am not gonna get my pay if I don't do my job right. Gin-chan told me to do this as if my life depended on it." She informed him. "But don't worry, I don't like doing this either."

"Really now." He intoned.

"At least your M fangirls smell better than most of the creepy otaku." Kagura shuddered, referring to how his fangirls called themselves. If Okita was an S, then all of his fans were automatically an 'M', and that type of thing didn't sit well with her. There was no way in hell she'd be an 'M' for him. "If Gin-chan didn't tell me to do this, I wouldn't bother. I'd rather eat  _sukonbu_  all day than do this." She yawned, reaching for the pocket of her dark-colored pants, but remember that even her _sukonbu_  had been held hostage by Gintoki and cursed instead.

She sighed before falling back against the couch she was sitting on and yawned. "Ugh, I want this done already."

"If you weren't doing this, what would you be doing then?" he asked, trying to keep the curiosity off his tone.

"Just about anything will do so I can get away from you."

* * *

_Okay Kagura, why the hell did you mess it up?_

Okita's mini concert was starting in a while, and Gin-chan had assigned her to backstage security. It would be bad if some fans decide to sneak in and suddenly threw themselves at the pop idol who had gotten himself a fanbase of half a million three months after his debut. It hadn't been  _that bad_ , but it was reaching a point wherein there had been female stalkers who were starting to use the Internet to find out where he lived.

Not that it was a huge, huge secret, but ever since his popularity rose, he had moved to the nearby province for both privacy and safety.

… And she lived next door to where he was staying.

Obviously, this annoyed her as she was away from Edo, away from Kabuki-cho, away from her Yorozuya famiy…

… but most of all, it annoyed her that she had to stand guard for him and was on call 24/7  _for him_.

It also didn't help that her budding feelings for him was slowly blooming, and it also annoyed her that each day she was with him, it was getting more and more difficult for her  _not_  to face her problem head-on.

Why the hell did he have to be handsome anyway…?!

_Obviously, that's the reason why he became a pop idol._

He  _was_ , and still  _is_  a policeman, despite being the other half of the duo who destroyed it whenever their sparring sessions got violent, but that didn't stop the girls from admiring him.

"This is a first. You're suddenly deep in thought, China."

She fought down a blush. "I-I'm just bored." Kagura replied back, averting her eyes from his figure as he stood before her not in his hakama, but in a white military-inspired outfit. As always, the sadist was gorgeously handsome, and that didn't do anything for her nerves. If ever, it made her all the more nervous.

_The fangirls are gonna be really difficult tonight, and damn Gin-chan for doing this to me…!_

"Bored, huh? Then just listen to my songs."

She shrugged. "Sure, why not."

"The last song. Listen to it." He said before leaving for the stage area.

* * *

She had been sitting on the couch in the lounge area of the backstage along with Gin-chan when the melody of his final song began to play, a ballad single that had been released a week before the mini-concert. She knew of that song, for she had been present during the recording of it, watching his poker-faced expression become so passionate over this. Kagura loves this song out of all the songs he had been singing tonight, and just like he wanted her to, she was listening intently.

Through the flat screen television of the lounge, she heard him say, "This is… for my unrequited love."

She fought the urge not to gasp out loud at the revelation, and she was very sure that a lot of the girls over watching the concert were just as shocked as she was.

Who would've thought that someone like him had an 'unrequited love'?

She'd have to ask him.

* * *

She really didn't get the chance to ask him after he had gone down stage because when he got to the backstage area, and despite the barricades, a lot of his fans had climbed up the railing and were rushing towards him. Kagura immediately took out her umbrella and was at his side as soon as she heard the excited footsteps. As soon as Okita saw her, he grabbed her and headed for the spare dressing room that was unoccupied.

As soon as he pulled her inside, she was just about to ask him why he had done so when he pushed her against the door and locked it.

"S-Sadist, w-what are you—"

"It's Sougo."

Before she could even wonder as to why he suddenly asked her to call him by his given name, he was staring at her intently. "You've heard the last song?" his blood-red eyes were staring at her, and it was making her feel nervous.

"Y-yeah—" before she could continue on with her words, he had placed a hand over her eyes.

"Don't look. I'm pathetic as it is." Were the last words he said before she felt him lean closer and…

He gently pressed his lips on her, and before she could react, he had pulled away, though he was still keep her eyes covered.

"Okita—I mean, Sougo—" she coughed nervously. "I—you can move your hand away from my eyes, you know."

"… I look pathetic."

"I'll be the judge of that." She said.

When he removed his hand away from her eyes, she was surprised to see him look so… vulnerable. The blush was evident on his face, and she tried her best not to chuckle at how the seemingly cool Okita Sougo had a vulnerable and… dare she say it, a sweet side to him.

"Come on, let's go. Gin-chan's probably looking for us." She told him, tugging on the white arm sleeve.

"Later. I just want to stay here." Immediately, he enveloped her into a rather tight hug, and automatically, she blushed in embarrassment, wondering what sort of ailment he was suffering into that was making him do out-of-character gestures.

… She had no objections with his hug, however. If she did, she would've used her strength to throw him to the ground, but it had been her forgotten umbrella that had hit the ground when he bent down to kiss her.

"T-they'll be looking for us—"

"The last song… did you hear it?"

"I did." She mumbled.

"What do you think about it?" he asked her.

She swallowed before replying. "I-it's my favorite song." She admitted.

"It was for you."

 _Did he just…_  before long, she looked up at him and saw how he was slowly turning beet red. "I-I got help from a song writer… and we came up with that and—" nervousness was setting in, he was babbling, and so, she decided it was time to reciprocate.

Standing on her toes, with the fifteen centimeter difference between them, she reached up to him, pushed him slightly away, and just when he gave her a bewildered look for pushing him away, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him fully on the lips.

Sougo had been shocked at her sudden gesture, but before long, he was kissing her back with more fervor, probing her to open her mouth with his tongue. When she did, Okita gave out a low moan and kissed her harder than ever.

They broke apart after a few minutes, both trying to catch their breaths as they also tried to still the beating of their hearts.

"S-so… what now…" she mumbled.

"Stay with me." He said firmly.

"A-as what?"

"My bodyguard and…" at this, he smirked. "My lover."

She frowned at him. "I will  _not_  be an M to you."

He tried not to look crestfallen at her sudden change of mind. Damn it, why did she have to shoot him down when he was trying hard to be cool? "Who says you have to be, you idiot?" he pressed her cheeks inwardly using his thumb and fingers, making her look like a goldfish. "Turning into something you're not will be boring in the long run. Continue surprising me, will you, China?"

"FINE!" she stuck out her tongue at him after swatting his hand away. "And we need to get going. Gin-chan's gonna be looking for us."

"He can wait." Okita said. "For now… I need to talk to my bodyguard regarding my security details."

The evil glint in his eyes was enough to make her gulp.

_O-oh no…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last song mentioned is supposed to be based on Gackt's 'Kimi no Tame ni Dekiru Koto', but you can also use 'Knocking On The Mind' if you want, because seiyuu joke (Okita Sougo's voice actor is the same as Uta no Prince-sama's Hijirikawa Masato.)


	6. Promises (HijiMitsu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: ghost/living person au. HijiMitsu.

 

* * *

**_Everyday Diary_ **

* * *

Promises

* * *

 

He wanted to die.

 _Death took you away from me, and I want to go with you_ , were the words he couldn't speak out loud.

He couldn't do it either. Not with his son, newly-born, and bereft of his mother who had passed on just a few days ago.

Hijikata did not know when he would complete get over it.

Maybe never.

* * *

His brother-in-law never forgave him for what he did.

He couldn't either; he lost a wife, while Sougo lost a very important family member, whom he had looked up to as his mother figure for most of his life.

Mitsuba,  _his Mitsuba_ , was dead, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He wanted to join her, but couldn't.

Something always held him back, in the form of his son, the one whom she had chosen to carry in her womb for nine months, despite the warnings that she might not survive the labor. He himself did not want her to go through with this, but she was insistent, even pleading.

 _"I want to give you a child."_  she told him one day.

_"Why?"_

_"… Because I want to be a proper wife." she replied as a matter of fact. "Also, I want to be the mother of your children."_

She paid a hefty price for it, and the guilt was eating him up.

 _Mitsuba… I couldn't save you_.

* * *

Obon was approaching, and he knew he had to do the rituals.

It was still hard for him to accept her death, but he knew he had to face it eventually.

He knew she was going to visit him.

* * *

"I love you." were the first words she uttered when she appeared before him, his eyes stained with tears.

"… Mitsuba." he said, looking away, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Toushirou." she greeted him, dropping the formalities ever since they had gotten married. "How are… how have you been?"

"… Terrible." he told her, knowing full well that she knew what he was going through. It had been over a month already, and yet…

"I'm so sorry for leaving you and our son…" she muttered softly, her eyes growing misty.

"… Take me with you." he may have probably sounded crazy with that bold declaration, but he couldn't take it anymore.

The guilt was eating him up, he was unable to get over her death, he had a hard time with the mourning…

… Hijikata Toushirou might as well be a living corpse who had nothing to live for.

"Please do not say that." Mitsuba said. "… Our son…"

"I can't do it. I've handed him over to Kondo-san already… even your brother is taking care of him for me. I'm a failure of a father, and I can't look at him without seeing you—" he nearly gasped when his deceased wife crawled over to where he was and enveloped him in her arms. He was rather surprised that she emitted warmth, and not the coldness that was associated with ghosts, as depicted in popular media.

"I'm sorry." she repeated again. "I'm so sorry I had to leave early. If only I had more time…"

"… Those three years with you were the happiest I have ever been in my entire life." he admitted.

"… Mine too." she concurred, enveloping him further in her warmth. "I love you… I love our son… and whatever happens, I will watch over you two. So please, Toushirou… live for my sake."

He took a deep breath. "… Maybe."

"I shall live on through you and our son. I hope he…" Mitsuba wiped the tears away. "Please don't let him forget about his mother."

"I won't. I'm a good-for-nothing father, but I won't allow him to not know about his mother."

She chuckled. "I'm glad… so very glad." the shady-haired woman smiled. "Next year, and the year after that, and the years to come… I want to see you. You and Togurou."

He smiled slightly at the name of their son. Why she had allowed him to name their son that, he was forever grateful. "Of course. Obon… Obon will always be the time when we meet… just like Hikoboshi and Orihime."

"I never knew you were such a romantic." she teased him.

"He was born on the Tanabata… as much as I want to curse the day his birth coincided with the festival for lovers, I couldn't." he never knew that the Tanabata would become significant to him, to them.

They were emulating the very thing the star-crossed lovers did.

"The bitterness in you has lessened… and I am happy for you." she remarked.

"… I hope to cling on to the remaining years I have before I join you." he told her. "I will… try to live for myself… and for Togurou as well."

"Hearing that… makes me feel at ease." suddenly, she began to glow softly.

He knew it was time… she was only here to visit temporarily, and it was a bittersweet feeling.

He had look forward now.

No more regrets.

He was going to live his life for her, for their son, and wait patiently until Death would take him to her side.

"Mitsuba…"

"I love you, Toushirou. Please do not forget me."

 _I will never forget you… even if I'm dying, and on my last breath_. Softly, he said out loud, "… I love you too."

The bright light disappeared, and Hijikata Toushirou was all alone again.

Taking a deep breath, he stood up from the room where her ashes were located, and wiped his eyes dry once more.

It was time for him to be a proper father.

He made a promise, and he was going to keep it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mid-August is Obon in Japan, and it's the season where people believe that their loved ones will come back temporarily to visit them. It's also the time for family reunions, so it's a major vacation/get-together holiday and can get quite chaotic!
> 
> I promise to make the next chapter more lighthearted. :)
> 
> Thanks again, and until the next prompt!


	7. Ms. Kagura (OkiKagu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: teacher/single parent au. OkiKagu.

 

* * *

**_Everyday Diary_ **

* * *

Ms. Kagura

* * *

"Papa, papa!" a sandy-haired little boy around the age of three ran towards the doorway of the kindergarten where he was enrolled in. At age three, Okita Kazuki was a bright young boy who was loved by both his classmates and his teachers.

Oh, and the mothers of the young children as well… most especially when the young child's father came over to pick him up, which was every single afternoon, and without fail.

Which meant seeing a rather handsome young father in a business suit cuddling and carrying Kazuki in his arms.

"Heya, Kazuki. How was school?"

Kazuki began babbling everything that he had done today as they walked home, while Sougo struggled to listen. At his age, his speech was slowly, but surely becoming coherent, but as a father, he wanted to know everything his little boy said.

Once or twice, he would mention a name, but today, not only did Kazuki mention the same name thrice… but four times.

Sougo found himself intrigued.

"Kazuki? What's the name of your teacher today? She seems very nice." he commented careful.

"Yeah, papa!" the child's dark red eyes, so like his own, glimmered happily. "Ms. Kagura is the best! I love her so much, I'm gonna marry her when I grow up!"

He nearly snorted. So typical of him. "Really now?"

"Yes, Papa. She's so beautiful! You should meet her!"

* * *

And meet her, he did.

During one Saturday, at a nearby mall, right after lunch.

… He wouldn't have known that the little girl who had lived close to his house, the very girl he had bullied during his childhood, would end up as his son's kindergarten teacher. As soon as she saw him, she actually _frowned_.

"Ms. Kagura, Ms. Kagura! This is my Papa!"

Why did he not realize that she was the same old girl?

_Oh yeah, I only leave Kazuki by the front door, and never bothered greeting the teacher._

She promptly recovered and greeted the young boy. "Hello, Kazuki-kun. How have you been today?"

 _She didn't even greet me._ He watched as his son's teacher crouched down to talk to the young boy, who began babbling about what he had been doing since morning.

"… And then Papa said that we could go out and eat ice cream!" at the word 'papa', he noticed her eyes turn frosty.

"I see. Well, enjoy the day, Kazuki-kun. I'll see you on Monday."

She practically ignored him, and somehow, it did not sit well with him.

He'll make her notice him.

* * *

The following week, he actually brought Kazuki inside the classroom, and to his surprise, they had been rather early.

"Ms. Kagura!" Kazuki screamed as soon as he saw his teacher fixing the tables and chairs.

"Oh, Kazuki-kun. Good morning." she patted his son's head gently. "How was your weekend?"

"Fun! Papa and I went to watch movie!" the young child said proudly. "We got badge!"

"How wonderful." she smiled.

"Ms. Kagura, may I speak to you for a moment?" he spoke out loud.

Immediately, her eyes went hard. "Yes, sir? What is it?"

"In your office, if you will." he told her.

"Kazuki-kun, sit down until your classmates get here, okay?" she told him. At his nod, she added, "I will talk to your Papa for the meantime."

* * *

Inside the mini pantry of the kindergarten, the both of them sat down on the chairs across one another, and as soon as she took a seat, she opened her mouth immediately and asked, "What do you want?"

He nearly laughed when Sakata Kagura, his son's kindergarten teacher, went from pleasant teacher to hostile in an instant. Clearing his throat, he spoke, "I hope after learning that Kazuki is my son, you won't treat him badly."

"Your son is a wonderful boy; you're not." she snapped angrily. "You're rotten to the core, and I don't like you."

"Same here." he found himself saying, despite feeling otherwise.

The fact that this girl, woman, was fighting back and being hostile irritated him. Wasn't  _she_  over the whole thing already? It had already been more than two decades!

"Good. Glad we're clear with one another. I'll stay out of your way, and you stay out of mine." she told him before standing up so quickly. Unfortunately, the long skirt that she was wearing today had tangled itself with the leg of the chair she was sitting on, and she nearly tumbled forward if it wasn't for Sougo, who had caught her in his arms. Feeling her face against his chest, she straightened up immediately, muttered a quick, 'thank you' before saying out, "I believe you can show yourself out, Okita-san. I still have many things to do before classes start."

* * *

As Okita began walking to the train station on his way to work, he recalled the encounter with his son's teacher.

Somehow, Sakata had grew some spunk, was now some confident teacher, and was actually  _fighting back_.

 _Intriguing_.

As much as he did not want to get along with the person who was still hostile to him, after all these years, he had to.

His son was in her class, was even infatuated with her, and if he did something against her… well, he did not want anything bad to happen to Kazuki. If he had to make sacrifices, such as try and get along with the person who couldn't stand him, he'll do so.

For the sake of Kazuki.

For the sake of his son, he'll do it.

He had to get along with Sakata Kagura, get into her good side, just to make sure that she wouldn't hurt Kazuki.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I must say, I think Okita as a single dad is downright hot. ;)


	8. Shut-In (HijiMitsu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "knocking on the wrong door au". HijiMitsu.

 

* * *

**_Everyday Diary_ **

* * *

_Shut-In_

* * *

He rarely gets knocks on his door as he was the type not to have friends over at his place, and as far as he knew, he wasn't expecting any mail-orders today, as he specifically wanted his Tomoe 5000 to arrive tomorrow. But heck, if it was coming in today, he didn't mind.

At least he had the extra time to review the figurine that he promised to the figurine community he was active in.

Armed with his personal seal, he slowly opened the door.

It wasn't the mailman.

If the person before him was from the post office, she certainly did not look like it.

Not when she had a young boy in her arms who was staring back at him.

"Oh my." she exclaimed, covering her mouth with a hand. "I'm so sorry. I must have gotten to the wrong door." bowing quickly, she made a quick run to the left, knocking again before the door opened.

Hijikata snorted at the sight of Sakata Gintoki, a tenant in the mansion he couldn't stand. The guy was noisy, was a pig (he had been responsible for the roach infestation of the whole second floor), and worst of all…

… he was talking to the woman who had wrongly knocked on his door.

As to why he was irritated over that, he did not know, though it surprised him.

"Ah, Mitsuba." at this, he raised an eyebrow, wondering why and how was he even first-name basis with the woman. "You're here early."

She smiled.

Hijikata found it hard to breathe.

"The deadline for your manuscript is nearing, and I need to help out as best as I can." she informed him. "Also, Sou-chan seems to be insistent in going here early." as if on cue, the young boy in her arms nodded.

"Where's Kagura?" the boy asked out loud.

"… She's still sleeping." the permed silver-haired man.

"What? Wake her up! I wanna play!" Hijikata snorted softly at the young boy's demand, finally realizing that he had been standing outside of his apartment for quite a long time. Slowly, he made his way back to his room and closed the door.

* * *

"Oogushi-kun was outside his apartment. Care to tell me what happened?"

After ushering in the Okita siblings inside his home, Gintoki aimed the question as her as soon as Sougo proceeded to run inside little Kagura's room to wake her up (something that Gintoki frowned on, but did nothing to prevent).

"… I didn't sleep properly last night and ended up knocking on the wrong door. I only realized it wasn't Sakata-san's apartment until he opened the door." Mitsuba admitted.

"I see." Gintoki nodded. "That was the first time I've seen him stand outside his door for a long time."

"Oh, really?" Mitsuba wondered why the silver-haired man mentioned that to her.

"Let's just say he's the type who prefers to be indoors most of the time." at this, Mitsuba's mouth dropped, knowing the euphemism.

_So he's a shut-in._

As if reading her mind, Gintoki added, "He has a job thought. Heard he's a freelancer who does work-from-home tasks and—" before he could continue, a loud noise was heard throughout the apartment, followed by a loud cry. "Oh, for the love of—"

"PAPAAAAAAA!" came the wail of a young girl.

Sighing, Gintoki went over to his daughter's room while Mitsuba followed suit, the latter preparing to scold her younger brother about what it means to 'play nice'. A five year old still did not understand the concept of a two-year-old being unable to do the things he did, and it always frustrated Sou-chan that his playmate couldn't do the things he wanted to happen.

… Not to mention Sou-chan's only friend happened to be Sakata Kagura, her boss' only daughter, as the other children found him to be a bit of a bully.

After settling down Kagura-chan (who had been deadly scared of a cockroach that entered her room, to which Sou-chan had effectively killed using a toy block, hence her crying at the sight of a dead insect), and after praising her brother for being brave about the whole thing, Mitsuba began preparing lunch. Being a popular novelist's assistant did mean that she had to help out, but in her case, being Sakata Gintoki's assistant meant helping out in his household, as he was the type who didn't really need an assistant with his works, but with keeping everything around him in order.

Others may see it as demeaning, but for Mitsuba, who was paid two thousand yen an hour, it was a lifesaver. At twenty, she did not go to college, as she had been an orphan, along with Sou-chan, and had been struggling to take on at least two part-time jobs before she met Sakata Gintoki, who had offered her this kind of job. It was a relief for her, as this was more than enough to cover the expenses, and she was encouraged by her employer to bring along her little brother, as it also meant distracting Kagura-chan from bothering her father whenever he needed to concentrate on his work.

With Sou-chan by her side, it kind of gave her a feeling of a family.

… Not that she had feelings for her employer, but she thought of him as the father she never had.

"Uhhh, Sakata-san? You think I should… uh… give some snacks to… uhh… Oogushi-kun, was it?" she asked him.

Gintoki smirked. "Actually, his name is Hijikata Toushirou. And why?"

"… We've been causing a ruckus since this morning… and he may have gotten bothered over it." she said.

Gintoki laughed. "Don't let me stop you."

* * *

Minutes later, she found herself again outside Hijikata's apartment. Just before losing the nerve to do so, she knocked on his door.

The door opened, and a pair of ice blue eyes stared at her.

Mitsuba didn't get a good look at the man in the next apartment until now, and she had to admit, he was… very attractive.

Probably more attractive than any other man she had ever seen in her entire life. Immediately, she felt her face grow warm.

"… Wrong apartment." the man named Hijikata Toushirou said, and was about to close the door when she placed her hands on the door edge.

"P-please wait—" unfortunately, Hijikata had been too fast with the gesture of closing the door that she barely managed to get her hands away before the edge nipped her skin. "U-uh… Hijikata-san…"

The door opened slightly, his head popping out of the opening. "… How did you even know my name?"

"Sakata-san told me." after seeing the dark look on his face, she quickly added, "I'm so sorry if we were causing quite a ruckus early this morning, and, well, here." she handed him two packs of spicy crackers. "This is actually a good brand. I find it tasty. I hope you will too. Bye." she said the words so quickly that he barely had time to register all of it until she practically shoved the snacks on his arms before running back to the adjacent apartment, slamming the door close.

For the first time in a long time, Hijikata managed a small smile.

For a real-life woman, he found her… interesting.

 _Very interesting_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hijikata's condition in this fic is still happening in Japan. Hikikomori (shut-in) is very much a social problem in Japan, but unlike the others who freeload from their parents, Hijikata has a job, so that, at least, sets him apart from the others. ^^
> 
> Mitsuba apologizing for the ruckus is a natural thing to do, as apartments in Japan have very thin walls (you can easily hear what your next-door-neighbor is listening/watching). The reason for this is because the materials used to construct a building need to be light enough to withstand earthquakes, as Japan is an earthquake-prone country.
> 
> Mitsuba's hourly wage is way above the minimum wage in Japan (780 yen), so that two-thousand yen is, indeed, a lifesaver for her. :) Not to mention that when one gets a job in Japan, your employers pays for your transportation cost.


	9. Arrested (OkiKagu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: "cop/person getting a speeding ticket au". OkiKagu.

 

* * *

**_Everyday Diary_ **

* * *

_Arrested_

* * *

 

"Oi China, show me your license."

This guy was seriously into her.

It had been the third time since he had stopped her and asked for her license, and in all honestly, Kagura was getting tired of dealing with him. It was one thing to get stopped once, then twice, but  _thrice_?

This tax robber was slowly getting corrupted by the system.

"You've stopped me three times this week. What the hell's your problem?!"

His blood-colored irises gave no indication of what he was thinking, but she knew how his mind worked: it always went sadism overload, especially when it came to her. "First, you're speeding—"

"… I was only going at 80!"

"—speed limit is at 40, but whatever, you probably bribed your way into getting a license."

"Why you…!" she was just about to grab her umbrella and whack him good until his next statement.

"And second of all, you're not wearing a helmet." he deadpanned. "It's against the law to drive the Boss' scooter around without any helmet, and you  _know it_. Why do you think the Boss and the Glasses always wear helmets whenever they ride the scooter in the opening themes?"

 _Crap_.

She had been in a rush this morning that she forgot the most important thing when she got on the scooter: her helmet. The goggles were now hanging around her neck after he had stopped her, but her helmet? Sitting prettily by the entrance of the Yorozuya office.

Hell, this was one last shot. "B-but bike riders don't need helmets—"

"You're confusing bicycle with motor bike, China. Cyclist may or may not need to wear helmets. You're riding a scooter, and the law states that you need to wear a helmet when you drive around." he chuckled mockingly at her priceless reaction. "Don't bother trying to get your way out of this. Speeding violation, and now, the helmet violation? This is the best day of the week so far."

_Shit. SHIT. SHIT. SHIT…!_

She knew Gin-chan would not have the money to pay for her fines; he never had enough money, that lazy bastard. Hell, he doesn't even pay her and Shinpachi their well-deserved allowance and—

"Oi, don't space out." he called out, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"… How much do I need to pay anyway…" she mumbled, defeated, knowing that she couldn't get out of this, even if she tried.. and even _if_ she tried to sweet talk her way out of her violations, the super sadistic policeman would just shoot her down.

"License first, China, then we'll talk." he said seriously.

Sighing, she retrieved the small plastic card from the front compartment of Gin-chan's scooter and handed it to him.

"… Looks like everything's in order." he shrugged. "You're twenty years old?"

"What's it to you?" she snapped.

"Oh, nothing. You look like an old hag right now, so I thought you were older." he dodged a kick that she aimed at him. "Tsk. Now you're assaulting an officer. Another violation."

"Just tell me how much I owe you so I can pay the damn the thing." she gritted out. She wouldn't be able to pay this instant, but she would at least save up for it, and that meant cutting back on her  _sukonbu_. "And we can be off to wherever."

Two days of encountering the sadist was okay, but a third time?

It was not doing any good to her mental health.

"If you insist."

Kagura expected him to whip out a memo stack that listed all of the possible motorist violations and for him to start jotting down everything.

What she  _did not_ expect was him suddenly pulling her close and kissing her on the lips.

The gesture rather shocked her; what the hell was he playing at?!

Just before she could push him away, he did, and he gave her a  _smirk._

 _A huge smirk_ , if she had to accurate describe it.

That stupid smug grin that she wanted to rip off his face.

"Don't forget your helmet next time, China. And slow down; you might get hurt. Next time, you won't be so lucky with the other police officers." he then turned around. "Consider that as my warning." were his final words before walking away.

_Warning to what?!_

The only thing that she managed to yell out after recovering from the shocking gesture that just occurred was, "He-he-health me! Police! Some sadist just sexually harassed me! Pervert! Arrest him!"

She was  _not_  in the position to complain after he had let her off with two major violations, but still…!

That stupid jerk…!

She was tempted to chuck her goggles at him, but knew it was going too far; the consequence of throwing things at him might  _actually_ lead to an arrest, and the female Yato was not going to surrender the opportunity he gave her.

With that, she made a vow.

He was  _so_  going to pay next time.

She'll make sure of it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let's make this quick and as tolerable as possible, as this will deal with terminologies.
> 
> Speeding violations are taken seriously in Japan. Speed limits vary, but there are signs that indicate the speed limit for a city.
> 
> Not wearing a helmet while riding a scooter/motorbike = major violation.
> 
> Then this part:
> 
> "B-but bike riders don't need helmets—"
> 
> "You're confusing bicycle with motor bike, China."
> 
> The Yowamushi Pedal fans know this already (if there are any of you who watch that series), but in Japan, they call bicycles 'jitensha' 「自転車」. Calling a vehicle 'bike'  
> 「バイク; baiku」 and saying it to a Japanese will make them assume that you're talking about motorbikes/motorcycles. Very complicated, this whole language thing, especially if you're familiar with English.
> 
> As said by Okita, you'll notice that in the anime openings of Gintama, Gintoki and Shinpachi are actually wearing helmets… and never without them. (If they did, I didn't notice it.)
> 
> Lastly:
> 
> A scooter license can actually be obtained as early as 16, but I made Kagura 20 years old here… just for the simple reason that it's the legal age in Japan. [if you know what I mean. Age of consent, however, is a different story altogether, and will require another fanfic].


	10. Keeping Up (OkiKagu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: fake relationship au. OkiKagu.

 

* * *

_**Everyday Diary** _

* * *

_Keeping Up_

* * *

 

 

Keeping up appearances was especially hard when it came to family.

Acquaintances, co-workers, even the bosses… it was very easy to put up an act where they were newly-weds who were still very much in love with one another, and were still in honeymoon bliss, even after nearly a year since their "marriage".

… Not that it was fake; the marriage contract had been signed, and registered at the local ward office, and they even went on a "honeymoon" just to show everyone that they were in love, despite the whirlwind courtship and romance.

In reality, the honeymoon turned into 'me-time', a.k.a. leave me alone, I'm having fun all to myself.

In reality, they couldn't stand each other.

In reality, they only went through with this only because they had something to gain from it. Her stupid husband couldn't get a promotion as a single man (typical worker problem for the ambitious ones), while she, at age twenty-five, was reaching the age of a typical Christmas cake, which meant by the time she hit 26, she was no longer desirable nor eligible for marriage. It was a very backwards way of thinking, but there was no way to go about it.

Either they get married or they don't; obviously, they chose to go through with it. In the end, he got his promotion, while she became the envy of her female co-workers, as they kept telling her that she was very lucky to marry someone who was handsome (she begged to disagree), who was earning so well, and who was  _so in love with her_.

If only they knew just how badly the situation was at their shared flat.

"… Are you really happy with that guy?" her legal father, Sakata Gintoki, asked, his eyes scrutinizing her.

As much as she wanted to say 'no', she had to keep her end of the bargain.

… Besides, she only had a year and three months left before finally saying 'good riddance!' to him.

All she could do right now was grin and bear it.

"What are you talking about, father-in-law? Of course we're happy with one another." a hug, an arm squeeze, and Okita Sougo, her  _darling husband_ , slipped into his adoring mode, which made her gag inwardly. It  _so_  did not suit a sadistic asshat like him.

"Don't call me that." Gintoki hissed, his eyes narrowing. "And I wasn't talking to you!"

"Really, dad, I'm fine. I'm happy." she put on her fake grin. "Who knows, by next year, you get to have grand kids already!"

The skeptical look on his face did not fade, even after they said goodbye to one another after dinner.

* * *

"You were not convincing enough. Did you see the look on his face?" Okita Sougo switched back to his usual mode, which meant sarcasm and biting comments. "If he knew what we were up to, I'd probably get flayed alive for fooling around."

"Sucks to be you." she hissed. "And why were your hands lingering way too long on my shoulder earlier? That was so disgusting, I had to pour alcohol as soon as we got home."

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, tell me something more horrible than declaring to him that you'll be giving him grandkids."

"Then keep your hands to yourself after the initial touch!" she said angrily.

"Same here; keep your hands to yourself as well after hugging me." he shot back. "I thought you were a leech when you kept on hugging me during dinner."

"Why you…!" just before she could yell at him, he turned around and walked away. "I hate you!"

"Tell me something I don't know." he replied before disappearing to his bedroom, oblivious to the fact that Kagura was glowering at him.

She had more than a year to go before they go their separate ways.

She had to hold on to her sanity… somehow.

 


	11. Labor (GinTsuku)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Holy crap, you're going into labor?!". GinTsuku.

 

* * *

_**Everyday Diary** _

* * *

Labor

* * *

 

Just like every first-time father, Sakata Gintoki was a nervous wreck.

Especially if it involved babies.

Especially if it involved  _his_  babies.

Especially if it involved his wife and partner, Tsukuyo, who was grunting in pain as  _she_  carried their  ** _children_**  (plural) inside her, and then…

… Well, honestly, he would prefer going through another Joui War than see her in labor.

As much as he dreaded going inside the room, he had to, not because he had to, but because he wanted to… even if he was deadly afraid of it, aside from the dental visits.

"Gintoki… i-it's time…"

All of a suddenly, he straightened up from the couch, the old issue of the Weekly JUMP falling from his hands.  ** _"Holy crap, you're going into labor?!"_**  he yelled out loud, panic evident in both his face and in his tone.

Just before she could answer him, she looked down, and to his horror, he found the  _yukata_  she was wearing suddenly getting stained with some… fluid. Even if he didn't read those maternity books that she had been reading lately to prepare herself for motherhood, he knew something was wrong.

He tried to calm down, he did.

But no.

It was simply impossible to calm down.

His children couldn't wait to get out but…

**_… not this_ _soon!_ **

"We're leaving!" immediately, he grabbed her and swept her into his arms. Making sure that she was rather comfortable on his arms as he placed his arms firmly on the back of her knees and on her upper back, he made a run for it.

To a hospital.

Which was pretty near to the Yorozuya office, some fifteen minute walk if one's pace was slow, ten if the pacing was brisk.

For Gintoki, who was carrying his very pregnant wife, rushing to the hospital had surprisingly, become a breeze, thanks to all of the adrenaline rushing into him.

"Are you nuts?!" she yelled at him as he made a run through Kabuki-cho's straightforward path and into the city. Because the pedestrian light was still red, he, like many others, were waiting for the cars to stop before crossing.

"Shhh." he scolded her. "I'm getting you there as fast as I can."

"B-but this is…!" she had actually wanted to tell him that she would rather prefer going there by taxi if it meant paying more, but he just ran out of the office, with her in his arms.

She wasn't exactly light, as she was carrying their twins but…!

"Shhh." he repeated, glaring at her. "Preserve your strength." ignoring the looks of everyone around them, he ran across the pedestrian crossing and ran faster towards the direction of the hospital's emergency room.

* * *

He winced as she squeezed his hand, nearly breaking it in half, if only she had put more pressure into it. She was trying not to scream, as told to her by the doctors and the nurses, and despite asking for painkillers, she was given none, because it would weaken he bond between her and the children (he did want to argue that their logic was stupid, but was too pained right now to do so), and so she dealt with this as much stoicism as she could.

The mask, however, was slipping, and he knew that she did want to scream out loud.

"Oi, you can scream, you know."

Despite the tired look in her eyes, she still looked at him. "W-what…?"

"You heard me. Feel free to scream. Ignore them." he said, referring to the others inside the room.

And with that, she started screaming her lungs out from the pain, startling everyone except him.

He sighed in relief.

At least her screaming brought some some sense of normalcy.

Hours later, a girl and a boy were born to both Sakata Gintoki and Sakata Tsukuyo.

* * *

When Tsukuyo came to, she found Gintoki fast asleep on the bench inside the room, which she assumed had been the one they had arranged for. On her left were two cribs, each crib containing one bundle wrapped in a blue blanket, while the other was colored pink.

At this, she smiled.

Who knew that their made-up story about Dia and Block would come true…?

But somehow, she had an inkling that this would happen.

_It just did._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole "no epidural" thing is true, as there are a lot of Japanese doctors and nurses who do believe that a woman needs to feel the pain in giving birth to feel alive + strengthen the bond between her and the child. Painkillers/epidural are available, but only in certain hospitals.


	12. Sleeping With The Enemy (OkiKagu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prompt: delayed flights AU. OkiKagu.

 

* * *

**Everyday Diary**

* * *

Sleeping With The Enemy

* * *

 

 

Okita Sougo was a very busy man, and if there was one thing he hated, it was flights getting delayed.

This time around, it was an hour and a half delay.

As a businessman and the heir to a restaurant-chain company, he was, in the truest sense, a stickler for time. Many people applauded him for having a good sense of time, as he was usually there fifteen minutes before a meeting started, and was very precise when it came to delivering reports and speeches. Not a minute more, he always said, which was what his employees followed, lest they be at the receiving end of his wrath.

While a lot of people admired him, there would always be people who would hate his guts simply because he existed.

One of those people would be Sakata Kagura.

She was an underclassman during his university years, and he had never met a more annoying person in his entire life, except maybe his brother-in-law, Hijikata Toushirou, but he was in another category altogether. Sakata Kagura, however, never ceased to make him seethe in anger whenever she appeared, and it was not because she was a business rival who was a co-owner of a family-run café that only had a single branch, but it was because her entire personality clashed with his.

If he went left, she would go right.

If he was for a stance in a debate, she would pick the against stance, just to piss him off.

They almost always never got along, except maybe the time when his sister got married to Hijikata. Despite being business rivals, his sister and Sakata got along. Sakata had been against the marriage as well, as she was one of the witnesses to  _aneue_  and Hijikata's rather tumultuous love affair that always ended with  _aneue_ crying and Hijikata getting down in the dumps because he had no idea how to deal with his sister. Despite her initial resistance to the marriage, she softened up to Hijikata, only because he finally proved himself to be a good husband to her best friend.

That was the only time he could think of where they were on the same side, but right after that, it was back to business as usual.

Their principles in business were also different. While she and her co-owners believe that it was better to handle a restaurant and shower the patrons with love and care by focusing solely on one branch, his belief was to expand aggressively and to rake in as much money as possible, something that she loudly disapproved of. There were times when they forgot themselves and would get into public shouting matches, much to the embarrassment of their friends (for her) and his colleagues (for him).

He never really liked her. She was the type of person who did the opposite of what he did, and he did not like it when people went against what he wanted. Admittedly, it was probably because of the way he was raised; both he and his sister lost their parents when he was twelve, and she at the age of nineteen. Kondo Isao had been their guardian until he reached the age of twenty, and more often than not, people bowed down to his whims, as he was the heir of the company. His sister was still the owner, despite getting married to Hijikata, but it was something that he was thankful for; while Mitsuba did the decision-making, he did the business trips.

Right now, he was heading for Singapore, as they had been thinking of expanding their restaurant chain overseas. The business meeting wouldn't start for at least two more days, as he was leaving on a Friday night, taking a red-eye flight to the city-state, but he did not like delays. He had two full weekends to do whatever he wanted, but he reminded himself that he was out on a business trip, and not a vacation.

 _I sound like a workaholic, geez_. At the age of twenty-five, he was so focused on his work that Mitsuba worried that he was practically married to his job and was not doing his other duty to the family, which was to continue the family line by getting married and having children. Sougo had been to a lot of matchmaking sessions at the request of his sister, but he had never been interested in the women he met. Most of them were heiresses to the big companies of the country, but more often than not, they were rather spoiled. They did not work in their family's business, as their fathers were thinking of adopting him instead to run the family business. Just his luck, since he was the last male Okita in his side of the family, he couldn't,  _wouldn't_  give up his surname for a woman he did not particularly care for.

 _"But what about my future nephew or niece?!"_  was Mitsuba's war cry whenever she asked him how the matchmaking went, and he replied with a, "She's okay, but I'm not gonna marry her."

He never really gave it a thought; he was still young, he still wanted to do so many things…

… But he knew the real reason why.

Embarrassingly, he was one of those people who believed in the notion of 'fate' and 'romance'.

To his knowledge, he has never met the right person  _yet_.

Whoever she was (he strongly believed that the person for him is a  _she_ ), she has yet to make her way up to—

"Why the hell are you here?"

—him.

He knew that voice just about anywhere. "Sakata." He glared at her.

Honestly, seeing her in the pre-departure lounge of the airline slightly unnerved him, but he knew that she was deliberately making her presence known to him. And she also knew that the sight of her sent him into rage, which was why she always provoked him by simply running up to him whenever she spotted him.

"Of all the people I just had to run into, it had to be you." She sighed in disbelief before rolling her eyes.

"Don't  _you_  have anything else to do?" his plane hasn't left yet, and here she was, annoying him with her presence already.

"I thought it was better if I annoyed you to kill time." The smirk never left her lips and he killed off any desire to want to rip that smirk off her face.

"Go away. I don't have time to deal with you." If she wasn't going to leave him alone, he might as well get out of the lounge and walk around, away from where she was.

If she had plans to sabotage the trip, he wouldn't let her do what she pleased.

* * *

Just her luck; Okita Sougo was in the pre-departure lounge of the same airlines as she was, but where was he going?

… Not that she cared, but seeing him in the airport at the exam same time as she was sounded too good to be a coincidence. It was rather scary, now that she thought about it, but decided that it wasn't worth her time dwelling about such a thing.

She was off to a well-deserved vacation, after all, and she didn't need that guy to ruin it for her.

Though she couldn't help but be  _really_ ,  _really_  curious as to where he was going to.

"Where are you off to?" she asked him before she could stop herself. At his glare, she nearly faltered, but stood her ground. "… It's not that I'm going to follow you, geez."

He still gave her that suspicious look, but answered her after some time. "… I'm going to Singapore."

Suddenly, she laughed out loud before shaking her head. "What's so funny?" he asked her, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"N-Nothing. Don't let me bother you." With that, she exited the lounge and decided to wander around the airport. As soon as she knew she was out of the lounge area, she grimaced, nearly wanting to scream at her bad luck.

He was going to Singapore.

TO SINGAPORE?!

She was also going to Singapore, for fuck's sake!

_Why!?_

Her luck was turning for the worst, and her vacation hasn't even started yet!

But no matter; the aircraft was big, Singapore was big, despite its city-state status (something that she learned from school, of course), and she was very,  _very_  sure that there was no way the two of them were going to cross paths. He might even be in First Class, while a mere mortal like her only had access to an Economy Class ticket. The only reason she had lounge privileges was because of her status as a frequent flier, doing all of the trips for Gin-chan, as he was deadly afraid of flying. Dad preferred to use the  _Shinkansen_  to take business trips around the country, but international flights?

That was her forte.

Aside from Japanese, she could speak Mandarin and English; despite the accent in her English, she was proud that she could communicate well with potential clients, locals, and just about anyone she encountered.

But then again, she was going to Singapore to have  _fun_  for a week. This wasn't a business trip, but a trip for her to have fun, eat the local food, and explore one of the places that her university classmate recommended to her. No rich jerkass businessman would ruin her vacation for her.

He would stay in his classy cabin, and she would be in the cabin for the 'commoners', as always.

* * *

She spoke too soon.

 _They were seated together_.

Same flight, same cabin, same row…  _and they were seated together_.

Kagura knew she had to keep her sanity intact… or she would really,  _really_  lose it.

Of all the rotten luck they were seated in an economy class cabin's row wherein the configuration of the seats happened to be two-three-two. While she sat on the aisle seat, he took the window seat.

 _… How am I gonna deal with this…_ , she told herself as she told the purser out loud that she wanted fish and a glass of green tea, while he ordered the other available meal (chicken) and wanted a glass of wine (typical of him to do the opposite of what she ordered). They were both silent when they found out that they were seated beside one another, and they were still dead silent as well when they ate their meals.

When their trays were being collected, she checked her watch, only to realize that it was already four in the morning. Their flight, which was close to midnight, got delayed to two in the morning, and right now, it was past her bedtime. Yawning discreetly as not to disturb the other passengers, she was just about to put on her eye mask when she felt something hit her left shoulder… and it turned out to be Okita Sougo's head. The lack of a proper headrest had made his head slide off to her shoulder as he dozed off. Panicking, she pushed his head gently to the side opposite of where she was, which woke him up.

"U-uhh… I think you should sleep on that side." She told him as he stared at her with bleary eyes, pointing by the window. "You… your head was on my shoulder."  _And surprisingly, I was okay with it._

"That so…" he grabbed the pillow on his lap, hugged it, and rested his head on the wall of the plane just near the window. It took only seconds before he fell asleep again, as he snored softly against the wall.

 _… That was… really awkward._  Ignoring the fluttering of her heart, she proceeded to put on her eyemask and tried to sleep.

It was still a long journey all the way to Singapore, and she needed to get as much sleep as she could get.

* * *

He woke up an hour later with the cabin lights all off, and while he wanted to change his position, he  _couldn't_.

All because  _someone_  happened to be sleeping on his lap, of all places.

Sakata Kagura sleeping on his lap should have angered him.

Sakata Kagura sleeping on his lap should have made him rudely shake her awake and tell her to sleep on  _her side_  of the seat.

He did not know what possessed him to suddenly wake her up, told her to sit upright and sleep properly, then placed her head on his shoulder instead, and let her continue sleeping while he tried to process just what the hell it was that he had just done.

He  _usually_  wasn't that nice to Sakata, though he could probably blame the fact that he was tired for the past few days, as he did so much overtime work that his senses took leave of him and just…  _allowed_  this to happen. Not that it wasn't too big of a problem, as he could just push her head away from him, but something within him compelled him not to do anything and just relax.

Why bother with this when he could just sleep off the hours that he lacked from the past few days of overtime?

He'll just have to put up with this until it was time for the plane to land.

* * *

When the announcement came from the captain of the flight that they were landing, she woke up with a start… only to find her head resting on Okita's shoulder. Feeling her face flame, she tried to wedge her way out as slowly as possible, only for her to panic and upright her head, and him hitting the headrest in her seat. He awoke with a start, and upon realizing that  _she_  had awaken him, he gave her a blank look, looked away, and opened the window shade instead.

She herself had a lot of questions to ask, the topmost being, 'how the hell did she find herself sleeping on his shoulder'?!

She did not know.

Did some spirit possess him to actually be  _nice_? She doubt it; that guy had no kindness in his bone when it came to her, and she knew that it was impossible for them to actually get along. They were business rivals, first and foremost, their life goals were so far apart, and he  _mocked her_  constantly for the smallest things. She, on the other hand, was not afraid to stand up to him when he was being ridiculous, never worshiped the ground he walked on, and generally thought he was simply an asshat.

There really was no way for them to get along.

She was fine with that; she could live without him in her life, and vice-versa.

It just so happened that life was being a sadistic little bastard that made  _them_  crossed paths with one another, forced them together on a nearly seven-hour flight to Southeast Asia, and even made them sleep next to one another.

No matter; when the plane lands, there would be no more forced in situations with one another.

_No. More._

* * *

On a Saturday morning, Hijikata Mitsuba, formerly Okita Mitsuba, woke up to a message from her brother. it was already ten in the morning in Japan, which meant he had landed safely in Singapore.

_'Flight got delayed. Just arrived and on my way to the hotel. Sakata had somehow managed to be on the same flight as me, even sat beside me, and is even staying in the same hotel. This sucks.'_

At this, Mitsuba grinned, proud of the fact that her secret plan had worked. She had been rather lucky that Kagura had confided in her that she was going on vacation and, on the guise of a business trip,  _'suggested'_  to Sougo to meet up with potential clients on the week of the younger girl's vacation, as it had also been the week where a food expo was going to be held. She had discreetly suggested to Kagura as well that she should stay at the prestigious integrated resort hotel by the bay, which also happened to be the hotel her brother would be staying in, as the business meetings with potential clients would be conducted there.

"What are you grinning at?" Hijikata Toushirou asked, puzzled that his wife, on an early Saturday morning,  _was happy_. More than anything, she preferred staying in bed until noon before going to the kitchen to eat the meal he had prepared for them.

"Sou-chan just got to Singapore. Flight got delayed though." She told him. "And… Kagura-chan  _just happened to be there as well_."

The man shook his head, knowing that despite his wife's innocent face, she was a devious manipulator. "… You've set them up."

"They met by accident at the airport and happened to be seated next to one another too." Mitsuba chuckled. "The same hotel too! What a coincidence!"

He really wasn't buying any of it, as he knew that his wife was fond of the Sakata girl and did  _everything_  she could (behind the scenes, of course) to get the younger girl together with her brother. In Hijikata's opinion, they didn't suit, as they always clashed with one another, but somehow, Mitsuba was convinced that they were…  _despite being business rivals._

He didn't know how her mind worked, nor would he claim to know what she was thinking, but as long as she didn't manipulate them too much, he would let her do what she pleased.

"Okay, if you say so." Hijikata shrugged.

"Toushirou-san." She called out to him, and as soon as he looked at her, she tiptoed up to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I just want my brother to be happy… and I'll do  _anything_  to make that happen. I'm convinced that Sakata Kagura is the only one who can handle him."

"… Is that why you've told Sougo to go to Singapore this weekend? Because it coincided with Sakata's trip? And because a food expo will happen on that weekend as well?" at her mysterious grin, all Hijikata could do was sigh. "… Didn't  _you_  suggested the date to the organizers?"

She continuing smiling instead.

There really was no stopping her in getting what she wanted.

He wanted to feel sorry for his brother-in-law, even warn him about his older sister's scheme, but by law, he was compelled to stick to his wife's wishes, and if Mitsuba wanted to matchmake them,  _she'd do it_  in heartbeat.

Absent-mindedly, he wondered if she had any hand in delaying the flight her brother was on, but decided that that was probably one thing that she had no control over…  _or maybe not_.

All he would do now was to observe and watch her actions closely.

The last thing he needed would be two angry people marching up to his wife for her 'meddling'.


	13. Bean Throwing Festival (GinTsuku)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "oops i accidentally summoned a demon au Gintsukiiiii"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I like this pairing a lot, and it needs more love.

Sakata Gintoki rather like the season of spring.

If he had to be honest, he rather liked it because of  _setsubun_ , a rather famous festival held before the first day of spring, and it involved people in the household throwing beans to ‘drive the demons away’ and ‘to bring in good luck’.

Oh, he wanted to join in and have fun, but he knew he couldn’t.

After all, there was irony in the fact that he, a living,  _breathing_  demon, was joining the humans in their festivities of driving away someone like himself.

Besides, for this year, he had a more important task at hand, specifically, finding a bride.

Or rather,  _his bride_.

It was simple, really. He needed to find the one he would impregnate just so he could pass his powers to his future progeny, or progenies, if that was even possible. Most of the men he knew who had gotten married already had one, though there was this one particular guy who had not one, but  _three_ , and was still helping with the procreation process. That guy’s bride, bless her, was actually putting up with all of it.

Then again, Gintoki knew that they had no choice in the matter.

The  _oni_  population consisted of males, and the only way for them all to sustain their numbers was to either kidnap a female and turn them into their brides (the socially acceptable route) or to force themselves onto an unsuspecting female (the not-so socially acceptable route). While he was twenty eight years old in human age, he was actually around one hundred and two years old as a demon. Compared to the others, he hasn’t really gotten it on with the procreation thing. Most of his fellow  _oni_ started finding brides when they were hitting their nineties; it was only now that he figured that it was the right time to get started.

… Then again, was  _she_  actually worthy of him?

Ruffling his silver-colored hair that hid his demon horns, he smirked to himself before walking.

He might as well head over to some shrine and see what the humans were up to, as he hoped that what he wore was enough to let him blend in. Seclusion had turned him into a hermit of sorts, and it had been some time since he was back in the human world. It took a while, but he managed to get everything together, as he learned that  _hakama_ was not an in thing anymore, and that human males were just as vain as their female counterparts.

Funny how things could change so much for some fifty odd years.

Right now, he felt silly wearing a white shirt and light brown pants underneath a wool coat that he purchased two weeks ago from the nearby mall. He found that the weather was still too cold for his liking, so he purchased a dual-colored brown scarf as well, which was now wrapped around his neck. Add to that, black leather boots.

What he wore was so far off from what he was used to (either the usual top and hakama or a _tsumugi_ ), but he knew there was no way about it; he had to blend in with the current society, or lose his chance in claiming the bride. To his relief, he figured he was doing it right when he got compliments from human females, who tried to invite him out. He, in turn, would polite declined their offer, and then walk away.

Time was running out for him, and he needed to find his bride,  _fast_ … though in this regard, he was at a disadvantage. The only time he would know would be when they make skin to skin contact.

If it would take him years, so be it.

As long as he would find her in the end.

* * *

Spring was the season of new beginnings, and as much as Akizuki Tsukuyo wanted to think that this year would be  _the year_  where she could start anew and forget all of the bad things that happened last year and early this year, she  _couldn’t_.

Time and again, she wondered if it was simply bad luck that led her to making poor decisions, or if it was the other way around. It was bad enough to hear from her parents early in her life that their family had been cursed ever since one of their ancestors had refused marriage to an  _oni_ , claiming that _she had a prior appointment on their wedding day, and could not be bothered to change it._

As a result of her snubbing the  _oni_  clan,  _they,_  the descendants, had to suffer… specifically her.

Right after New Year, her mom had told her that  _she_  was going to get married soon, and to an  _oni_ , no less. Just before she could voice out her protest against old-fashioned crap like arranged marriage, her dad continued on with what her mom had started by informing her that her bridegroom would be fetching her soon, whisk her away to the secluded  _oni_  village, get turned into an  _oni_ , and would never see her parents again.

As to why she had to get married to some stranger, it was because they had to pay the outstanding debt that her family owed to the  _oni_  clan… and she had been chosen since birth to be that particular _oni_ ’s bride.

It angered her that some dead hag still had a hold on her family, and it irritated her beyond belief that _she_  was going to be a sacrificial lamb, all because someone was irresponsible enough not to fulfill her duty.

Marriage to an  _oni_?

She didn’t want to scare herself, nor jump to any conclusion, but she knew enough folklore to scare her out of her wits, as the average  _oni_  would have blue skin and sharp claws, would be wearing a tiger-skin loincloth, and would carry around an iron club. Thinking of a demon like that… the thought was disgusting, not to mention,  _scary_.

_‘No, no, no. I won’t allow it!’_

The local shrine near her house was currently having a small celebration where everyone took turns throwing the roasted soybeans at the direction of the shrine gate to ‘drive away the demons’. When it was her turn, she, clad in her warmest clothes that consisted of a gray turtle neck, a black skirt, dark gray knitted tights, and black boots underneath her purple-colored winter coat, grabbed a handful of beans. As hard as she could, she threw the beans as if she was some pitcher throwing a baseball.

The result: some white-haired guy getting a mouthful of roasted soybeans in his mouth from her careless throw.

Panicking, she rushed over to where he was, and just when she was about to apologize, he spat out all of the beans at her face.

… Was it just her imagination, or did she feel just a bit sticky on the face right after he spat out a lot of those?!

“W-w-w-what the hell was that for?!” she yelled at him right after getting over her initial shock.

“… Whoops.” The casual remark, though innocent, was enough to get on her nerves. She did not want to make a scene, and the first thing that came to mind was to drag this guy away from the crowd and confront him  _properly_.

Properly, meaning, a kick and a punch to show him that it wasn’t nice to spit things at people.

Which would also probably involve some unladylike remarks and behavior, and that was fine with her, since he deserved way more than just her screaming at him for being a jerk.

Without a word, she grabbed him by his wrist; in response, he jolted. Stepping back from her, his dark red eyes suddenly turned wary before turning malicious.

Her pulse quickened when she felt his eyes on him, and immediately, her guard went up.

“You—” he growled before grabbing her wrist. When she fought back by forcing her weight down to her legs, he surprised her by pulling her up to her feet all of a sudden and  _carrying her one-handed_ against his side by wrapping an arm around her torso. She probably looked awkward, with her dangling mid-air on her stomach, her arms and legs hanging about while some stranger was cradling her like that ball that she saw on television that feature American style football.

“You jerk, how dare you—” it didn’t take long before he brought her into a secluded portion of the shrine, and upon making sure that she was back on her feet, he said something that had immediately enraged her.

“Take off your top.”

In response, she smacked him on the head. “Who the hell do you think you are?! I am  _not_  into that kind of thing!”

Snorting, he stared down at her. “You’re not gonna do it?”

“Why the fuck would I do something like that anyway—” to her shock, he tugged her turtleneck upward, exposing her bra. Just before she could react, he pulled it down just as quick, though a smirk was now tugging his lips, as if he had found something rather interesting.

No doubt, this guy was probably getting all worked up her breasts.

… Not that it was worth mentioning; just that, a lot of men fancied themselves ‘in love’ with her when it was pretty obvious that they only liked her because she had a cup size to die for.

The smirk and the thought of him getting off over her body was enough to enrage her that, upon managing to collect her wits, she threw a kick his way, something that he had been unable to dodge. Satisfied that he howled in pain when her foot made contact with his left hip, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying both to compose herself and to make sure that he wouldn’t pull that stunt again. “Who the hell do you think you are?!”

“For starters, I’m your husband.”

“That  _does not_ give you the right to—“ it took a while before his words sunk it, and upon hearing it, her amethyst-colored eyes widen in panic and in shock. “E-excuse me…!?”

He chuckled. “You heard me. You’re my bride, I’m your husband.” Walking up to her, he poked a finger against the fabric of her top, on the center of her chest. “The maple leaf symbol on your chest is proof of it. I guess you could call it a birthmark of sorts since it’s been there the moment you were born.”

How did this guy knew…?!

She refused to believe it!

She threw those stupid beans!

 _She_  threw those beans to ward off the demon,  _not summon it_!

So why was he standing before her, claiming that  _he_  was her intend?!

_Shit, shit, shit…!_

It was all she could do not to panic and freak out.

When several minutes passed and no words were exchanged between them, the silver-haired man gave her an easy smile.

“By the way, I’m Sakata Gintoki. They also call me… the  _white demon_.”

* * *

Bonus fanart done by my friend tangerinespectre on Tumblr:

 


	14. Year-End (KatsuMatsu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "accidentally broke into your apartment because i was drunk"

Year-end parties were something Katsura Koutarou enjoyed, but most especially if it was celebrated with his good old friends.

Hell, Takasugi even managed to go to Earth, undetected at that, and was able to tolerate Gintoki while they were in the same room. Katsura thought it was stupid that the two could not stand one another because of their differences, but as long as they didn’t try to break each other’s noses while they were in the same vicinity, all was fine.

As usual, Sakamoto provided the entertainment, the room, even the girls… but the highlight of the year-end party would be the free-flowing drinks, ranging from local beer to some exotic Amanto drink that even he had never heard before.

The party started around six in the evening, and by the time the clock hit nine, everyone was… quite drunk. Quiet Takasugi, who was sulking the whole time during the drinking party, was suddenly screaming and dancing along some song playing in the  _karaoke_ , the lines saying something about being ‘sorry’, while Gintoki and Sakamoto were laughing out loud as the latter managed to sneak in some ink and paintbrush, painted a funny face on his belly, and began dancing,  _geta_  and all.

As for him…

Well, he was content with drinking beer, shaking the tambourine as Takasugi belted out the lines (“ _Aitai mou Can’ t stop!_ _Hajike-souna kono kimochi!_ ”) of his  _karaoke_  drunkenness, slurring every word while the background music blended with Gintoki’s hysterical laughter and Sakamoto’s  _geta_  clanking against the floor as he danced like the airheaded idiot that he was.

By two in the morning, all of them were so drunk, Takasugi hoarse from being the sole singer in their group, he was surprised that the floor was still free from vomit. Sakamoto, the guy who was prone to vomiting was, surprisingly, still dancing, still making his belly do weird shapes, though was now tipsy, while Gintoki was now chugging on some Don Perignon. Takasugi, on the other hand, was still singing, now moving on to some boy band, clumsily trying to imitate their dance moves.

“Sorry, guys, but I have to leave. Elizabeth is waiting for me.” after the chorus of goodbyes, Katsura tried so hard not to stumble as he tried to make his way back to his place, a few blocks away from their year-end party. _  
_

The usual 20 minute walk turned into a full hour as he tried desperately not to vomit on the street, and at the same time, tried to be on his feet and not be caught by the roving policemen.

By the time he arrived at his destination, the key to his apartment wasn’t working. Impatient to open the door properly, he picked the lock, a skill he had learned as a young  _Joui_  that he carried on up until now. With a soft ‘click!’, he opened the door…

… only to be hit by a plastic  _ramen_  bowl on the face. _  
_

All drunkenness gone, he stood up immediately… and immediately cowered at the sight of a certain blonde-haired, blue-eyed  _ramen_  shop proprietor, clad in a sleeping cotton robe.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” she hissed angrily.

“I-Ikumatsu-dono!” he said, surprised to find her in his place. “T-this is highly inappropriate, you coming here—”

“Idiot.” another smack, this time, courtesy of the trusty soup serving spoon that he knew she used to stir  _tonkotsu_  broth. “Other way around; you’re the one breaking and entering into  _my shop_.”

Katsura, in his drunken stupor, simply blinked at her.

Sighing, the young widow shook her head. “Come on, let’s talk it over in the morning.”

“Huh?”

“Come on; go to sleep.” she grabbed him by the arm and lead him upstairs, to his usual room, the one that he had used before when she had mistaken him for a pervert.

It was obvious that he was drunk and was not in his right mind right now.

“Let’s talk in the morning.”

She made a mental note to prepare the saltiest  _ramen_  she could ever come up later in the morning.

Hangovers were not an easy thing to deal with, and she would rather force a bowl of salty ramen down his throat than take care of a whiny man-child suffering from a hangover.

That was only the proper thing to do to show hospitality to a guest, uninvited or otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Takasugi was singing along to would be 'Gomen Nasai no Kissing You' by E-Girls.
> 
> Year-end parties (called ‘bounenkai’/忘年会) are a thing in Japan, most of it always a drinking thing, some karaoke, and mostly just having fun.
> 
> Ramen is supposedly the best thing to eat in Japan when suffering from a hangover (called ‘futsukayoi’/二日酔い).


	15. Love Hotel (OkiKagu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "am I too late for the Drabble thing? Of course it would be OkitaxKagura with 49. “Well this is awkward…” :D"

* * *

Missing the last train home  _was not_  the perfect way to spend a three-day weekend.

Add to that,  _she_  was forced to book a hotel room  _just for the night_ , as it was hard to find a capsule hotel that accommodated females.

The clincher?  _She was forced to book said hotel room with her sadistic boss, who also had to do overtime with her_.

She never really liked Okita Sougo; four years her senior, they knew one another, as they were neighbors since she could remember, and they even went to the same elementary, junior high school, high school, and  _even the same university_.

Sakata Kagura thought she would finally get a break when she would start working, but lo and behold,  _he just happened to be her boss._

_And she also seemed to be his favorite, much to the envy of her co-workers._

_‘For fuck’s sake, it’s not my fault he’s picking on me_ _!’_

“… Bad news.” came the grim voice of her boss, snapping her out of musings.

She felt her stomach drop. “… I don’t think I’ll like the sound of this.”

“They’re fully booked for tonight.” he sighed.

 _Shit!_  “And how about the other hotels?”

“I’ve called all of them. Seems like all the hotels in this area don’t have any vacancy–”

“Not even  _one_?” god damn it, if she was going to cry right this instant, she would rather not let this dark-hearted sadist see her break down.

… Was it her imagination, or did he just blush?

“… There’s probably one hotel that isn’t full.”

* * *

 “Well this is awkward…”

_You tell me_. After nearly getting screamed his ears off, Sakata had finally relented into entering a love hotel  _with him_. And not for the reasons she thought of.

What the hell was she getting all worked up over? It wasn’t as if their purpose was to  _fuck one another_ ; they needed a room. Clearly, she could get over that fact and, for once, be agreeable?

“… It’s a love hotel. Of course there’s gonna be only one bed.” he walked over to the bed and sat on the right side of the bed, the one nearest to the wall. “This is my side.”

“F-fine.” curiously, she was still blushing.

He had to admit, for a pricey hotel (they had no other choice but to get a suite room), the amenities were superb. From the entrance, there was a sofa on the left, and the bed was across from where one stood. A flat screen television was facing the bed. The toilet and bath was a few steps away from the entrance, just near where the sofa was.

“I’m taking a bath.” he told her, who simply nodded in response. “Make yourself comfortable… or I dunno, order food if you want.”

“… I forgot to get money from the ATM.” in their hurry to get to the hotel before midnight, she had foregone getting extra money from the convenience store.

“I’ll pay for the meantime. Order what you like.” with that, he entered the bathroom door, which was located near the entrance, and once there, he let out a heavy sigh. He wasn’t surprised that his hands were shaking as he slowly removed his clothing.

_You idiot, it’s not what you’re thinking._

This was  _not_  supposed to happen.

To be stuck in a [love] hotel room with Sakata? And on a Friday night even? During a three-day weekend?

Shit, he should’ve insisted that she took the remaining the room that the last hotel had and walked back to his flat instead, which was an hour away on foot. A taxi ride would’ve been costly, but it was better than having both his sanity and his self-control tested.

… At least by walking home, he would be too tired to play out scenarios that involved her  _naked_ and  _beneath him_ , but now…

… Well, he did need a shower right now.

_A cold one._

* * *

Late-night variety shows were boring, and no matter how hard she tried to get into it, it was proving very difficult to do so. Not only did she not understand the jokes (it was hard to keep up with the trends lately), but seeing all of the hosts make a fool out of themselves just to elicit laughter from the audience was simply too much for her to take. Sighing, she turned off the television.

_Maybe the view from the windows would be a better idea._

In hindsight, Kagura knew she should not have let curiosity get the better of her.

She should’ve went to sleep when boredom had set in, but when had she ever listened to her conscience?

 _Never_.

She wished she had.

One minute, she was determined to alleviate her boredom by looking at the night view of Shibuya; the next, she was seeing her boss, Okita Sougo, surprisingly, was facing her, and was all  _naked_ ,  _wet_ ,  _dripping–_

 _‘Oh, stop it!’_ she hissed at her brain as it tried to process the fact that upon grabbing the curtains, the view that she was hoping for to amuse herself had turned out to be  _something else._

Those several seconds had been burned into her retinas, and no matter how hard she tried to convince herself that the naked, showering man before her was the person she could not stand, it was unable to deter the fact that  _he_  was rather good-looking,  _naked_ or otherwise.

_Did she just imagine it, or was he actually–_

With that, she did the only thing she could: drop the curtain, and race towards the bed, hoping that by the time he got out, she would be fast asleep, and that she would wake up the next day and be able to sneak out of the hotel room while he was asleep. Kagura also hoped and prayed that by the time they were back to work, he would forget  _everything_  that happened tonight.

_So. Awkward…!_

* * *

 


	16. Wavering (KamuSoyo)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Kamusoyo for #2! Maybe based on the idea that he's the only one who can sneak into the palace undetected"
> 
> Prompt: “Have you lost your damn mind!?”

 

He was hoping that when he got to her bedroom, she would fling straight into his arms and tell him that she missed him so much–

“Have you lost your damn mind!?” was the first thing she said when she saw him casually creeping into her bedroom tonight.

Reality was such a heartless bitch.

He frowned. “What now?”

She slapped his arm, making him wince. “What the hell are you doing here?!” she hissed, her amber eyes narrowing at his direction. Inwardly, he had to admit to himself, she looked quite intimidating, despite him being nearly a head taller than her.

_I missed you too, he thought sarcastically_. Instead, he flashed a grin at her, which did nothing to ease the frown on her face. “I missed my best girl–”

“ ‘Best girl’, my foot.” she spat out. “Seriously, why are you here?”

_So much for surprises_. He tried another approach this time. “… Is it so bad that I wanted to see you?”

Why the hell was this ‘dating thing’, supposedly a custom in Edo, so complicated anyway? If he had his way, they would skip the whole dating thing and go straight to the bedroom, or even some place that was suited for the mating process.

Hell, he didn’t care, as long as he would finally possess her and show the galaxy his mate–

“… You know  _exactly_  why I don’t want you here.” she said quietly.

Frankly, he did not give a fuck if people knew, but what irritated him was that on  _her side_ , a lot of people would be opposed to their…  _relationship_. Not only was he one of the most wanted criminals in the galaxy, but he had wreck havoc in Edo, had caused a political turmoil even, and had been indirectly responsible for her brother’s death…

… and yet, here they were, in her bedroom, sneaking about, hiding whatever it was that was between them. Even  _he_  had no word for whatever it was that they shared, other than the term…  _romance._

Was it even romance? He did not know; he had never experienced it himself until he met her, and that, after some clandestine meetings and stolen kisses between them, it simply…  _bloomed_.

It surprised him that she had forgiven him after all that happened, but if there was one thing that was unique about Tokugawa Soyo, it was that she had a kind heart, even towards a villain like him.

“Yeah, yeah. People would be against it–”

“Not that. They will…” at this, she swallowed. “The Shinsengumi and the Mimawarigumi will kill you… and you would be helpless against their attacks,” at this, he snorted, which she ignored. “And I would be… I would be forced to watch it all, pretending that I don’t care that they’re inflicting their worst–”

“Stop crying.” he told her harshly, feeling uncomfortable all of a sudden. While he enjoyed seeing her distressed look whenever he teased or bullied her,  _crying_  was another thing.

“Is that all you have to say?” she wiped her tears with the back of her hands. “ ‘Stop crying’?”

“Were you expecting something else?” he couldn’t help but growl out.

If there was something that annoyed him about this girl, it was her not fitting the stereotypical princess, who was dainty, demure, and kind. Tokugawa Soyo was the anti-thesis of what a princess should be, as she was sadistic, rather vulgar (no thanks to his sister), and very,  _very_  scheming.

And yet, he knew within him that he would not want her to change a thing.

“Oh, I don’t know, at the very least, hug me, you dumbass–”

He did what she had told him to do; admittedly, Kamui didn’t do hugs, but if that was what she wanted, who was he to say ‘no’?

He could practically hear Abuto’s voice in his head if the older man knew what he just did.

_“Way to go, boss! You’re slowly turning into the princess’ slave; just a bit more, and she’ll start leading you by your dick!”_

Thoughts of wanting to punch his second-in-command in the face had disappeared as soon as she hugged him back. Despite that, her crying did not cease. Awkwardly, he began rubbing her back, the way  _Mami_  would do it whenever he was feeling rather bitter whenever the neighborhood kids would pick a fight with him and he, in turn, would lose.

“I don’t want you to die.” she whispered.

“It’ll take a lot to kill me.” he tightened his hold around her. “Right now, they sure are doing a shit job of protecting  _you_  from  _me_.”

Despite the tears, she laughed a bit. “… You have a point, Kamui-san.”

“Don’t stop me from seeing you. I won’t listen, no matter what you tell me.” he did not tell her that Abuto was always against him visiting Edo, fearing that he was tempting Fate, and that he would get himself caught in some kind of trap. Abuto was wary of the princess, still unable to believe that she was the forgiving kind, especially they had been the one responsible for ruining her life.

No amount of reassuring Abuto that they both had put the past behind them made him feel at ease whenever his boss sneaked out to Edo to visit his…  _woman_.

She sighed, pulling away a bit. “… Guess you’re right. Still… I’m glad you’re here.” she admitted, her cheeks turning pink in embarrassment.

He knew it was worth risking his life for that rare chance of seeing her.

Kamui allowed a small smile to tug his lips.

_‘So this is what ‘happiness’ is.’_

* * *

 

_Where did I go wrong…?_

It was supposed to be all an act, as they, the Yorozuya, the Shinsengumi, and the Mimawarigumi, had previously agreed upon, with her as the willing pawn in order to obtain secrets from  _that villain_ , and yet…

Hours after he had visited her, as she sat by the edge of her bed, she was still feeling all jittery. At first, it had been rather easy to gain his trust and to lie to his face, telling him that she had forgiven him for everything he had done. The only thing that had been hard to do was to tell him that it had been _love_  that had helped her get over the fact that he had been indirectly responsible for her brother’s death.

_Love?_

She snorted.

A monster like him did not deserve any kind of love. Why, it had been easy acting as if she would be heartbroken if he died before her very eyes when, in fact, she would most probably be jumping up and down for joy when that murderer dies.

… Except that this time around, the thought of him actually dying made her feel uncomfortable and… _sad_.

How could that have happened…?

It was  _impossible_ ; why was  _she_  feeling sorry for that man?

She hated the fact that she had to spend time with him, all the while playing her role as the princess who was madly in love with a villain like him. Funny, the whole plot reeked of so much cliche, she was surprised that she didn’t crack up even once during the times she had to play pretend.

But now… it seemed as if it was getting harder and harder to tell how she really felt towards  _that guy_.

She was definitely not in love with him… and yet… the thought of her feeling  _sad_  at the possible scenario of him  _dying…_

_She wanted out, yet she it was still not time._

She had a mission to carry out, and Soyo vowed not to let her resolve waver.

She would not rest easy until she had avenged her brother.

Kamui was going to die by her own doing… and she would make sure that  _everyone_ , including herself, would follow through with the plan.

_Even if it meant ignoring the dull pain in her chest whenever she imagined a world without him in it._

* * *

  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You could actually just read Kamui’s part and skip over Soyo’s part to make it more light-hearted, but I hope even the supplementary was okay. :)


	17. Fascinate (OkiKagu)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe if she kissed him, her fascination of him would cease, and she could be free from thoughts of him that plagued her ever since they first met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologies for the lack of updates for any of my stories. School has been keeping me busy, and I had to restrain myself from writing stuff since November 2015 last year because of my exams. Only found out this early February that I passed the Japanese Language Proficiency Test. Somehow, I've managed to hang on and pass, and now, I'm also busy with life stuff.
> 
> Updates will happen, but it will be very slow, especially since my mind has been distracted from life stuff. ^^;;;;
> 
> But anyway, here's an okikagu fic for everyone.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Gintama. It belongs to Sorachi Hideaki.

* * *

She couldn’t understand why she was fascinated with that guy.

He was Papa’s subordinate at his workplace for a good two years now, ever since he first got the job upon graduating from the prestigious Keio University while she was a first year university student from the elite Gakushuin University, the place where she frequently bumped into the offspring of former members of the country’s peerage. The first time they met, it was when she had been invited to a mixer party [1]; at that time, the organizers of the mixer invited students from another elite school, which happened to be Keio.

And _he_ had been one of those invited just to even out the number of the males to the females attending.

A graduate student of Economics at that time, Okita Sougo stood out from among the men at the party, and it was not because he was _very_ good-looking compared to the rest of them, with his sandy-colored hair and dark red eyes. Rather, he tried so hard not to draw attention to himself by not participating that much in the socializing and the drinking that it was the women who tried to make a move on him in the hopes of scoring a date with him. In the end, no female had managed to get a date with the best-looking guy at the party, nor were they even successful in getting his LINE ID.

At that time too, she figured that she was too engrossed with watching the disaster of one guy and at least ten girls vying for his attention unfold before her eyes that her friend, Tokugawa Soyo, had misinterpreted her fascination and asked if she wanted to have the guy’s LINE ID too.

_“Errrr, why would I?” she found herself asking at that time._

_Soyo grinned. “I thought you were playing the ‘I’m actually interested but I don’t want to seem eager’ card. Tell me if you change your mind.” Her face had probably went from neutral to confused, for the raven-haired girl said, “I just have this feeling that he won’t mind me sharing his LINE ID to you, Kagura!”_

And that was how she found out that Mr. Economics Major from Keio had been a family friend of her classmate, and that the connection between the Tokugawa Main Family and the Okita Family dated back to the time of the Edo Period. Privately, Kagura thought that connections that ran as far back as before the Restoration would resort to her classmate and Okita getting engaged and having the connection strengthen through an arranged marriage, but Soyo assured her that ‘it’s not like that’ and that ‘Okita-san and I are like siblings’, despite her having an older brother, who was currently the head of the Tokugawa family.

Whenever Soyo invited her for parties at her home in Shibuya (in the millionaires’ neighborhood, as expected of an heiress of one of the most important families in the country), Okita would be invited as well, and while she didn’t really want to interact not want to get close to him… it was _impossible_ not to. They would talk, but only to dispel the awkwardness whenever the Tokugawa heiress wasn’t around to mediate between them, for she was their common friend. During their third meeting, they found out that they wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ get along on certain (read: _a lot_ ) issues, and more often than not, they would end up debating with one another until it was time for dinner to be served.

Right after dessert, they would proceed to pick up where they left off to debate some more over coffee and tea, until it was time for either of them to go home, with the debate almost always ending whenever Papa arrived to pick her up. The only time Okita had left before her was when he received a call that his older sister was about to give birth, and he wasted no time leaving her gaping when he simply stood up and ran off, without so much as a ‘goodbye’.

To her own frustration, she felt offended when he simply brushed her off, and had even found herself looking forward to seeing him again just so she could ‘pick a fight’ with him and have her revenge.

It shocked her further that despite the mutual dislike they had for one another, she felt an attraction of sorts towards _him_.

How was that even possible…?!

Contrary to the good-natured and friendly façade he showed during the mixer, he was actually a sadistic jerk who couldn’t keep his mouth shut from saying something crass and horrible to just about _anyone_ , even if the person deserved to be told that he was a ‘perverted, overweight piece of shit who had a fetish for underage girls’. At that time, someone had tried to hit on Soyo during her nineteenth birthday, which happened to be in the form of a man old enough to be a grandfather. The jerk proceeded to tell the heiress that if she wanted to have a ‘good time’, all she needed to do was call him.

Okita wasted no time telling the man off with insults, and as soon as the guy stormed off in anger when no one had tried to defend him, Soyo’s gratitude was endless, and kept thanking him profusely.

_“Not a big deal.” He told her at that time, shrugging. “I’m your guardian, and anyone who tries to insult you will be dealt with accordingly.”_

She really couldn’t remember exactly _when_ she slowly started feeling something for her best friend’s guardian-slash-childhood friend, but Kagura suspected that it happened when he told that old fart to ‘fuck off’. Before, she saw him as a black-hearted sadist who looked down on people, and a jerk to boot, but it all changed when _that incident_ happened.

It was difficult, but she had managed to hide her growing attraction for him by acting as if everything was normal… or, at least, she hoped she was acting normal in the eyes of everyone else who saw them whenever they had their debates. Kagura had been careful not to seem too eager, and urged herself to be nonchalant at all times, for she dreaded the scenario of the onlookers knowing that she was having romantic feelings for her rival.

The good thing was that they didn’t see each other that frequently lately; it was only when she was invited to a party that they would meet one another and continue on with their debates. She was very sure that her budding feelings would die down immediately because of the lack of interactions between them, and with him getting busy with the job-hunting, their encounters would be lessen.

She pushed down the sadness that was creeping up within her at the thought of not seeing him.

It was better that way.

It was also better for her sanity.

Right…?

* * *

When they became sophomores, she heard from Soyo that Okita had earned his Master’s degree in a year’s time, as scheduled, and had found himself a job at a very prestigious company that guaranteed lifetime employment, despite the current economic situation [2]. He had also told the Tokugawa heiress that he would be very busy with work and that there would be times wherein he might not be able to attend any future parties. Outwardly, Kagura had told Soyo that she was totally happy with that, since she didn’t have to deal with the sadist. At the same time, however, sadness filled her, knowing that she now had nothing to look forward to whenever she had to come over.

She spoke too soon.

Upon arriving home during the commuters’ rush hour, she nearly felt herself jump out of her skin when the door opened and it was not Papa who answered the door.

What the hell was Okita Sougo doing in their household…?!

“W-w-w-what are you doing here…?!” she spluttered.

He gave her a blank look. “… That’s supposed to be my line, but I’m guessing that you’re boss’ daughter. He’s been expecting you.”

_… Boss…?!_

“E-e-excuse me…?!”

Before the sandy-haired man could reply, Sakata Gintoki’s head peeked out from the kitchen area.

“Ah, Kagura, good timing. Hope you don’t mind Okita joining us for dinner. We’re working on some overtime stuff, so he’ll be staying here for a while.”

She should _not_ have spoken so soon.

She should _have not_ …!

There was no escape this time; despite her being a college student, she opted not to move out because she knew that Papa would be lonely without her. Besides, her house was conveniently located half an hour away from school. It would be redundant if she was going to live on her own, and would still visit Papa on weekends just so she could use the washing machine to save up on the laundry expenses.

Add to that, Papa didn’t know that his subordinate was the very man she ranted about every time he stopped by the Tokugawa household to pick her up.

“I-it’s fine, Papa…!” she said, hoping that her voice wouldn’t shake from the nervousness she was currently experiencing. While she was used to seeing her rival dressed in casual clothing, seeing him in a suit was _not_ good for her heart. “I-I don’t mind!”

And that was how she found herself encountering him at random times in her home, as Papa would invite him to dinner after work. Sometimes, after dinner, they would continue working, and he would catch the late train home, as he lived half an hour away from their place. What annoyed her the most was the fact that her father would never tell her when _he_ would be visiting. Every damn time he was there, she would, time and again, find herself looking at him for a period of time that was longer than necessary before excusing herself to lock up in her room and telling herself for being _so damn obvious_ with her budding feelings for a man who simply saw her as his boss’ daughter.

She should have had her fill back then, but Kagura figured that at that time, she only saw him as a rival, and not as a… _man_.

A handsome man who actually got her attention, and one who did not bore her in any way possible, despite countless number of debates she had with him over several topics that she could not name right now. But now that she thought about it, it alarmed her that her harmless crush on him had evolved into something more, and the inexperienced girl in her was panicking over this new realization and possibility of it evolving into something that she may not be able to comprehend properly.

This has to stop.

_Immediately._

* * *

_Kagura, Okita’s sleeping on the couch for a bit before he goes home after dinner. Went out to do some grocery, will be back soon to cook dinner._

She should have checked her LINE app sooner so she could have been warned that the minute she got home, the sight of a sleeping salaryman, whose throat was exposed right now as he had left a few buttons open on his dress shirt, would be the one greeting her upon getting to the living room of her home.

Seeing the exhausted man sleeping so soundly should not have surprised her; March was the end of the fiscal year in a lot of companies, and she remembered that during her childhood, her father would be one of the many who would go home very late because they had to do overtime. Thankfully, it only lasted until the end of the March; everything would go back to normal by April.

Quietly, she set down her bag and walked towards the sleeping form of Okita Sougo, curious as to what he looked like asleep.

Upon closer inspection, she was not disappointed with what she saw, and immediately, she felt her heart skip a beat.

Why was he so… _attractive_?

She had never felt this way, and it always left her thinking of doing the most impulsive things… _like kissing him_.

The thought of Papa catching her in the act of kissing his best employee should have stopped her, but somehow, the thrill of trying not to get caught excited her further.

_Besides, it’s only a kiss._

The man himself was in deep sleep.

He wouldn’t remember it.

Summoning all of the courage she had before it left her, she pressed her lips against his and let the contact linger for several seconds before pulling away. Unsatisfied with the outcome that it did not make her feel anything other than nervousness at the thought of her father coming home any minute, Kagura tried again, and this time, she tried to put pressure on the kiss by tilting her head and pressing her lips with much more force against the sleeping man’s own, only to frown when she had to pull away.

_Would’ve been better if he was awake—_

“Damn right.”

She couldn’t help but shriek at the hoarse reply of the salaryman, who had suddenly awaken from his nap, and was now sitting up from the sofa bed. She also did not realize that she had spoken her thoughts out loud; suddenly, she started to instinctively back away from him.

_Shit…!_

“What the hell was that about?” he raised an eyebrow at her.

“I… I, umm…”

“You call that a kiss?” he asked in a mocking tone.

She was just about ready to make an excuse for what she did when he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

With his arms around her, she knew escape was impossible, especially since she was now locking her lips with his. The kiss he initiated had made her face grow hot, and before she could stop herself, she found herself wrapping her arms around his neck. This was definitely very different from what happened earlier, as the other person was now kissing her back rather fervently. While he was not bold enough to force her to open her mouth to deepen the kiss, it was a passionate one that sent her mind reeling. When he pulled back to catch his breath, he was not quite done yet; Okita started kissing her exposed neck and chest (why did she opt to wear a low, round neck shirt today?), and even pulled the right sleeve down her shoulder to trail more kisses.

The sensory overload was too much for her to bear that she yelled, “W-wait…!”

At once, he stopped and let go immediately, giving her a questioning look.

“W-w-w-what was that for…?!”

He smirked. “Obviously, I had to teach a kid like you how to kiss properly.”

Was that how it should happen? She had never dated anyone in her life, and technically, the thing that happened just now was her first kiss and, dare she say it, her first make-out session.

Still, for him to call her a kid…

It was beyond insulting.

“I’m an adult, mind you.” She huffed, embarrassment all gone from her body. “I just turned twenty last year!”

“Then you should know that adults like yourself should be responsible enough to start and end a task _properly_.” He informed her. “Don’t leave other people hanging.”

He was definitely pertaining to that pathetic excuse of a ‘kiss’ she did; if it was even more possible, she felt her face flame further.

But there was no way she would take that lying down.

She caught the unintentional innuendo in his words, and she was not one to back down from a dare, especially if it came from her rival.

“Fine then.” A hard push, and upon seeing him flat on his back on the sofa bed, she pinned him down before he could think of escaping. Despite his dirty mouth and his dark personality, Okita was not the type to throw a girl out of the way just so he could make a run for it.

She felt the corner of her mouth smirking. “Then I won’t leave you hanging anymore, Okita Sougo.”

* * *

He didn’t stay for dinner that night.

From the start, Sakata Kagura drove him crazy with her antics, and the events from earlier was no exception.

The girl had boldly pinned him against the sofa bed before launching an attack that consisted of sloppy kisses and very inexperienced fondling when she slipped a hand under his dress shirt, and despite that, it did not fail to harden a part of him.

How could it have not when the girl had been intriguing him for as long as he could remember?

It had been two years since they formally met (the mixer party did not count, especially since he was too busy fending off the women), and it was during one of Tokugawa Soyo’s parties even. His first impression of her was that she was soft-spoken, timid, and polite, as evident during the first time they talked to one another, without the heiress bridging the gap between them. It was hard not to have that kind of stereotype towards a female who studied in the most elite school in the country, but the next time she opened her mouth to inform anyone who was listening about her opinion regarding the current music scene, he knew he would enjoy talking and goading her.

It was impossible for someone sporting vermillion hair to be timid, and she proved her point earlier, when she had the gall to leave several small kiss marks on his collar bone. She only stopped when they heard the front door open, and, while her father was making his way inside, several grocery bags on hand to announce his arrival, she hastily fixed the clothes and stood up beside the sofa. After the initial greetings between father and daughter, he pretended to ‘wake up from his nap’, and excused himself to the bathroom to fix his clothes. Right then and there, he found out that she had marked him, and knew that it would be… _difficult_ for him to have dinner with the two, as he would definitely lose his concentration and be constantly reminded of what happened earlier.

Several minutes later, after he put back his neck tie and his trench coat, Sougo found himself making an excuse that he forgot that he and his sister would be having dinner together, and that he had to leave.

He did not miss the challenging smirk that the girl flashed at him when he bid them goodbye.

He _would_ challenge her, but not now.

Not in her house where there was a chance of them getting caught, with him probably getting sent to an early grave, while his boss would be sent to jail for killing him, leaving his daughter behind to fend off for herself.

He would have to wait for the opportunity where both of them were in neutral ground, with little to no chance of getting caught by meddling fathers or even a certain inquisitive heiress who did everything she could to match make, in her words, ‘her two favorite people together’.

Everything would be done on their terms, and if Sakata Kagura was up for it, he would gladly indulge her.

_Just you wait._

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [1] mixer party - this will sound weird, but in Japan, guys and girls keep to themselves, never interacting unless it is absolutely necessary, as both are afraid that any interaction with the opposite sex might make others misunderstood that they’re dating. It’s a reason why mixer parties (called 合コン) are popular; it gives them a chance to interact in an informal setting.
> 
> [2] ‘…  that guaranteed lifetime employment, despite the current economic situation.’ - Lifetime employment used to be a norm when Japan’s economy was thriving, but because of the bubble burst, Japanese companies couldn’t have this kind of set-up anymore. Currently, Japan is still undergoing an economic recession, and it’s termed as ‘Lost Two Decades’.
> 
> As for the schools, Keio University is a very prestigious university known for its business and economic courses while Gakushuin University used to be the school that catered only to the nobility and the imperial family. It’s still very elite, especially since a lot of the members of the imperial family graduated from that school.


End file.
